Alternate Fate: Fantasy!
by ngrey651
Summary: At long last, the final chapter! Our heroes take on the sinister Kaiser and defeat him once and for all! The time has come to finally say "aloha"...goodbye...and hello again. Inspired by the "Tejina Chronicles" of Kioko the Pirate! Read, Review, enjoy!
1. Let the tale begin!

**Author's Note:**

**This is an Alternate Universe tale, hence the title! I'm asking the question "What If"... **

**I love the "_Konjiki no Gash Bell", _AKA "Zatch Bell" manga and anime, and especially enjoyed the amazing author Kioko's "Tejina Chronicles"...therefore I began to wonder what if...what if I tried to merge the stories of a lightning boy from another world and an alien dog from another world? What would I get? **

**I hope you enjoy the answer half as much as I enjoy writing it! **

**PROLOGUE:**

**魔法と驚異の物語を開始しよう！**

**Let the Tale of Magic and Wonder Begin! **

* * *

The building was aloof, dark…and foreboding. The paint of the mansion had peeled away in big splotches, in fact, due to the paint color of the building, it was like it was a gigantic PERSON suffering from the biggest case of sunburn in the world. The grass upon the ground was thick, but uncared for…brittle and stiff, it almost cut you. There were old palm trees that swung sadly in the breeze on a high alcove above the front double-door, and there were many windows…most of them so dusty and black that you couldn't see inside.

As the being with the book walked towards the building, he gently tapped on the door…

But there was no answer. Shrugging, he opened it up…

And was greeted by a wondrous sight. The building's inside had been painted blue like the sky around him, with clouds painted perfectly in different parts. Above was a beautiful black starry night with the stars accurately painted in their perfect location…even the Milky Way galaxy was included. There were tiny little cue cards at the top that read the names of different planets placed underneath certain points of light…but one impressive sight caught the being's eye in a fashion that made his eyes go wide with wonder.

Around the room were huge bookcases, filled from top to bottom with tomes of every shape and size. Classic novels, amazing romances and dramas, at least a dozen columns stocked with encyclopedias alone. Their colors were faded and dusty from misuse, making it look like a faded rainbow had wrapped around the room. And there…in the center…was a pretty little throne made of beautiful gold and silver. A sparkling silver question mark was emblazed at the top, and sitting in it was a creature.

The creature had red eyes and looked like a rodent of some kind. Long ears…a tufted tail that was draped to the side…big, rabbit-like feet…covered in fur. He was sort of like some rabbit/gerbil/hamster mix. He twitched his pink nose and adjusted the white jacket that he was wearing. The being that was looking at him and the books realized that he sort of smelled badly…he hadn't taken a bath in who knows HOW long, and his fur showed it: his fur was probably white originally…now it was unmistakably grey in tone.

The being before this rodent was one of the gentlest creatures ever seen. It had eyes like that of the surface of a pond, with light brown and cream-colored fur, and a flowing, long-haired tail. He had wings like that of an angel which were cream-colored like much of his fur, and some light brown hair at the top of his head which was rather closely cut. He addressed the rodent in a respectful tone, his voice as beautiful as a choir boy's.

"This is an amazing treasure trove of tomes, good sir! Please, tell me, what kind of person are you to have read all of these books?" He requested.

The rodent didn't even blink as he looked this being before him over. Then he spoke softly, in a voice that had once had youthful innocence within it, but now was slightly heavy…and filled with regret.

"I am…a person that knows nothing." He muttered, looking down.

"What? But nobody knows NOTHING!" The strange being before the rodent said, looking confused. It placed it's book down, which was the same color as it's beautiful eyes, and ran over to the rodent. "Why would you say that?"

"I was once a doctor who had confidence in my skills…but the truth is I didn't know a thing." The rodent said, hopping out of it's chair and adjusting it's doctor's coat a little. It walked alongside of the bookcases with the other being following him. "When I was performing an operation, I…I let my own son die. I failed to save him…I am a terrible doctor."

"…I'm sorry to hear that." The being said, gently placing it's furry hand on the doctor's shoulder. The two were very close in height, even though neither of them were taller than an elementary school child. "You must be lonely here…"

"I quit in shame after I failed the operation. I do not deserve to be near others…I cannot bear the thought of failing them in some way…just like I failed my own son."

His body quivered. "He was too young, too…can you imagine what it's like?"

"I'm sorry." The being said, suddenly holding the doctor in a hug. The doctor sobbed into this being's body and felt the warm fur comfort him…it soothed him somehow. After some time, he looked up into the being's eyes.

"I'm…thankful you are showing this kindness…who are you?"

"My designation is 620!" It said. "But I prefer the name Page." Page smiled. "Say, would you like to read a book I brought, doctor?"

"…" The doctor looked at the pond-colored book that the creature called Page had brought in. "Very well, let me see it."

Page happily flew over to the book, making the doctor's eyes widen. He was almost like…

No, it couldn't be…could it?

The little being flew back, handing the book to the doctor, who opened it up.

"Hmm, what a fascinating language…I've never seen any like it before, it's so…alien…"

"Oh yes, it's a book designed to control my powers. Most of them, anyway, I can fly as easily as I can do…THIS!" Page stood on his head, balancing. "Ta-da!"

The doctor found a smile passing over his lips. The child reminded him of his own son, Junior. He turned the page absentmindedly to look at the next undecipherable patch of words when-

"It's glowing…" He gasped.

It was true. The strange script was glowing brightly in a greenish/blue shine. "I can…read…it?" The doctor spoke softly as he looked it over.

"Careful, don't say the words out loud!" Page said. "Even I'M not sure what the first spell does, since nobody else has been able to read it…" He admitted quietly. "A lot of people…well…they don't like me. I'm not well-liked among the experiments either…except for a close group of friends."

"What?" The doctor asked. "Experiments?"

"Yes, our creator, my…my father…" Page said gently, "Made about 600 something of us and sent 100 of us in a random lottery for one purpose: to fight…so we could decide which of us 100 was the best." Page said, holding his hands behind his back and looking down slightly as his tail swished back and forth on the ground. "In order to prepare us for this sort of thing, we'd go on missions that were specified to our powers. My first mission…well…I botched it because I converted…"

"Huh?" The doctor tilted his head.

"Well…you see…" Page sighed. "When I was being chewed out by some of the tougher experiments as to why I didn't do the job…and everyone in the cafeteria was laughing and talking about how I'd failed the assassination mission…I told them that I'd accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior and everyone was instantly quiet…" Page looked directly into the doctor's eyes. "After that, everyone got nervous around me…well, everyone but my friends. My…my father tried to get me to do other missions, but I kept failing because I didn't have the heart to engage in the kind of ruthless activities the other experiments succeeded at. I think that, if he hadn't chosen randomly, he would have locked me in a trunk so that I couldn't take place in this competition. But fair was fair, so…"

The doctor looked from Page to the book. "Hmm…" He thought to himself as they continued to walk through the room, down a hallway past some doors and into a large arboretum.

"You seem to be really smart though, doctor…you can read my book, my spells, and use my powers! Sir, I think you might be able to help me in this battle!" Page said happily. "You've read all these books, you know so much…that knowledge shouldn't be wasted!"

The doctor raised an eyebrow…and then a big grin appeared on his face. _"So staying in here is a waste, huh?"_ He thought to himself.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!" !" He laughed, stretching his arms and three-digited, furry paws out. "This is the sort of thing I can't resist! I'll make you a champion, Page! Now for a full introduction!"

He dove back, then wheeled into an open door, which closed for a few moments. One "SPLASH", some scrubbing and a "fwip-fwip" later, the door re-opened and the doctor rolled out, wearing his doctor's garb which he quickly tossed off to reveal an elegant jacket of blue and red that glowed splendidly like his now ivory-white fur.

"**My name is Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel! A fabled partner from the last battle that decided the champion of all experiments!" **He announced in a grandiose fashion.

"Really?" Page asked, eyes going all starry.

"Nope, it's a lie!" Dr. Rupert said, smiling cheekily.

Page's mouth went so far open and so far down you could have fit a book into it. Dr. Rupert smiled gently and shook his hand. "Don't worry, you have my promise: I'll do everything I can to make you a king! We'll make your "father" proud of you!"

…

…

…

…the boy walked down the street, his brown, wavy/curly hair blowing to the side in the wind. He had tucked his hands into his pockets as he continued to look at the ground, a dejected look upon his normally happy face.

He had nobody. Set up for adoption by his family who could not care for him properly, a brother who never wrote back…and no friends. The only pets he had had been goldfish and they'd all died. Now wasn't THAT a sad commentary on his life?

He hated it…he hated being alone. He wanted to have somebody CARE about him, he wanted to have somebody smile at him and say "Well done"…he wanted…

Then it happened. A rustling of bushes just before he could enter the walkway that led to his home. He turned his head, eyes widening…

He took a step back…then he fell flat on his butt, wanting to scream as he looked at the being before him…it was frightening in the night.

Eyes so black… a strange mammalian creature with a big nose and claws as black as his eyes that stared deeply into his own hazel ones…this…this thing had soft-looking slightly dark green fur with a whitish/yellow stomach, and large ears on it's head. As it stepped forward again, the boy saw that this thing had…had a whitish/yellow Mohawk! It looked kind of skinny, but to compensate for that, it was considerably taller than any sort of dog HE'D ever seen. In fact, he looked sort of like a mutant koala…and above all, he had two sharp fangs that were sticking up from his…yes, it was a "he"…his lower jaw.

"…who are…who are YOU?"

"…" The being looked him over, rubbing it's chin.

The boy just sighed, looking away. "If you're a dog or something, you should go home, little guy. Everyone who gets close to me goes away or dies." He muttered. "It's not like anybody would really miss me if I-"

"Can you read this?" The being asked, holding up a book that was the same color of green that it was…

Speaking…

SPEAKING…

A humongous wave of shock filled him…but Nick took the book and opened it, as if in a trance. He looked down at the writing inside.

"How strange, these…these words, I've never seen this kind of language before, and I read up on dead languages all the time-oh…oh? I…"

His eyes went wide. He shook slightly. "I…can…understand it…the word is so strange, but I know the meaning…"

The being grinned at him. "Good…that means you are my partner."

He slammed his fist on his chest. "You will make me into a CHAMPION! And I will finally prove myself to my father in this completion of 100!"

"Competition?" Nick asked.

"I have been sent by my creator to this planet for one purpose: to fight 99 other experiments and prove my superiority…and YOU…will help me reach the top!" The being said. It grinned again. "You're going to have an interesting time with me…"

**ALTERNATE FATE...FANTASY!**

(A rising sun is shown, casting light over Hawaii, house by house.)

_Kono mama mou sukoshi… arukou kata wo taki!_

_kieyuku yume wo kazoe, kareteku nakama wo mita!_

(A furry pair of paws rub's it's red eyes as it looks out the window, the same time as a hazel-eyed kid.)

_Kayoiii nareta michi ni…mayoiiii komu kono goro…_

_Yami gaaaa mou hitori no…jibun wo tsukuruuuu!_

(The main protagonists run down a field, books held in hand as they gleefully race along with the wind)

_Kawaitaaaa! Sakebi gaaaa!_

_Kujike souna mune wo tsukisasu,_

_kimi wo…sasotte sekai wo mitai na! (Come Along With Me!)_

(A shadowy feature is seen in the sky. Our protagonists watch it fade into nothingness, then turn to each other.)

_Darenimoooo! Dasenaiiii! Kotae ga, boku no naka ni aru!_

_Kakeeee! Hiki ga kagiii!_

(They clasp hands, then shake.)

_Todoke…We'll Win This Gaaame!_

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE:**

**開始する！最初の敵は、究極のコンボです！**

**BEGIN! Your First Foes Are An Ultimate Combo!**

Dr. Rupert smiled as Page licked an ice cream cone. They were walking down the sidewalk of the island of Niihau and were heading towards the beach. The doctor had been enjoying the last three weeks with Page and had been practicing spells with him…

Well, for the most part. Today was Ice Cream Day! Dr.Rupert had already downed his Vanilla with Chocolate Sprinkles while Page had a nice "Rainbow Sherbet" in his paws.

"_You've made me so happy, Page." _He thought. _"I was a man who was isolating himself from everything, slowly starving in my home and waiting for sickness and death to claim me…and then you gave me a reason to live. I wonder…"_

"Ooh, ooh!"

Dr. Rupert's ears picked it up before Page's did, if only by a few moments. Both turned around and saw a whiny little kid with a green sweater and glasses clinging to his…well, they supposed it was his dad. The kid was pointing with one stubby finger at the ice cream store about 20 feet away. He had a pet lizard that his mom was holding onto…it seemed to be drooling heavily and was hissing slightly. They were far away from the ice cream store and from any other people…and they sure were an odd foursome.

"It's all full up!" The kid complained in a thick accent. Boy, his skin was so sunburnt! It was a dark pink color…and wow, the little pig had quite a NOSE, it was just so-

That nose. Page stiffened.

"That's Nosy!"

"Who?" Dr. Rupert asked, looking confused.

"Nosy! Experiment 199!" Page whispered. "He was designed to tattle enemy secrets but mostly reveals gossip instead…and that snakelike lizard…that's Slobber, Experiment 347! See the antenna?" He pointed.

Rupert's red eyes widened. There WAS an antennae. He had thought it was a crest, but…

"They're experiments? What are they up-"

"Can't we do ssssomething about this?" Slobber asked the "mom", who was apparently his book reader. His scaly, sick green skin matched the color of his book, and he had big yellow eyes. Nosy's book was the same red/magenta shade that he was. Their book owners were a black-haired, glasses-wearing woman who looked rather stuck up and a man with a well-developed body and smooth red hair who looked rather well-to-do.

"If we can't get in for an ice cream, let's destroy it so nobody else can enjoy it either!" Nosy whined. "Besides, the owner's cheating on his wife, he DESERVES it."

"Well let's do this then." The owner of Slobber's book said. She opened up her book…

"We've got to stop this!" Page gasped.

Dr. Rupert, who had been carrying the book underneath his arm, opened up to the bookmarked page of spells and read out the glowing words. "**The First Spell:** **Votum!**"

Page's arms spread out and his body glowed. Then a beam of glowing white energy shot out in a cross-like form that struck the ground in front of the evil foursome that had been planning on attacking the store, making them gasp and turn their heads.

"What do you think YOU'RE doing?" Dr. Rupert said, pointing at them. "How dare you try and attack an ice cream store while there are innocent people still inside!"

"I know you! That Born-Again Nutcase, Page!" Nosy laughed, putting his hands on his hips. "You're not going to try to convert us, are you? I don't care if my soul's in danger!"

"No, I'm going to ask you nicely to leave and to not harm anybody else for your own selfish reasons." Page said, holding out his hand. "Are we experiments not family? Are we not brothers and sisters?"

"If you think we'd listen to you, I'll sssay it the way the islanders ssssay it." Slobber said, smirking. "A'ole…which meansss "no"."

"I know what it means!" Page said defensively. "Dr. Rupert's been teaching me! He knows everything!"

"Yes, in fact…did you know that ice cream, like cheese, comes from the moon?" Dr. Rupert told Page wisely.

"Really?" Page asked, turning his head.

"Nope. Lie!" Dr. Rupert said, smiling cheekily.

BA-BOOOINNG! Page's mouth opened.

"But there's no time for that…" Dr. Rupert said, facing down Slobber, Nosy and their book owners. "Let's fight somewhere more private and settle this!"

"Fine. The beach, ten minutes. Be there." The male book owner remarked.

"Oia'io!" Dr. Rupert remarked, which meant "Sure thing" in Hawaiian. The book owners walked off, and Dr. Rupert turned to Page. "'Oia ho'I ha." (All right then) He told Page. "You feeling up to this?"

"…'ae." Page said, nodding. "We HAVE to do this!"

…

…

…

…the wind whipped around them as Page crossed his arms. Dr. Rupert, holding the book open, nodded at him, then the two faced their opponents. Slobber hissed and swept his tail back slightly as Nosy put his hands on his hips and smirked.

"We'd been hoping to play around some before we looked for opponents, but finding you here is…heh-heh…a "god-send"!" Nosy wisecracked. "Now you'll see the results of the training Slobber and I have undertaken! We're an unbeatable combination!"

"If you promise to leave people alone, we'll let you go without a fight." Page said. "I have no desire to fight unless necessary."

"Ha-ha-ha! Are you foolsss? Don't make me laugh, choir boy!" Slobber snapped.

"We're itching to fight." Nosy said dangerously. "We've finally found an easy target…we'd NEVER miss this chance!"

"**Waanaa**!" The book owner shouted, as Nosy opened his mouth and stretched his arms out. Strange goop shot out and enveloped their feet.

"Uh…I'm not feeling anything." Page said.

"Let's attack, then! **Votum!**" Dr. Rupert shouted.

Page's blast shot out, and Nosy and his bookowner dove to the side, running off. "Ypou know, Nosy always was cowardly. I'm saddened to see that he hasn't gained courage." Page admitted.

"Did you forget about US?" Slobber's book owner laughed. "**Tsuba!**"

A pulsing orb of goop was belched from Slobber's maw. He smirked as it slowly oozed towards them in mid-air.

"It's so…SLOW." Page remarked.

"This is ridiculous, let's just focus on Nosy first." Dr. Rupert suggested. But as they turned to head towards said experiment…

TUG.

Uh oh.

"This goop is sticking me to the ground!" Page gasped.

"So THAT'S what it does!" Dr. Rupert realized. Then he realized something else as the orb of slobber hovered closer. He grabbed Page and tugged…and tugged…and TUGGED!

PA-PLOOP!

They went sailing back, just as the orb of slobber struck the spot where they'd been. SSSS! The ground dissolved into a sloughy dough.

"An acidic slobber bomb!" Page gasped. "How barbaric!"

"All'ssss fair in love and war!" Slobber laughed.

"So Nosy sticks us to the ground while you attack us with that bomb." Dr. Rupert said.

"That's right!" Nosy said, striking a pose along with the other three. "We're the Ultimate Combo!"

Dr. Rupert snickered. "WHO'S the ultimate combo? A pig and a lizard?"

"D-d-don't make fun of us!" Nosy stuttered. "Y-you're just a stupid gerbil!"

Dr. Rupert's eyes widened. Then they narrowed in rage. The book surged with power as he slammed his hand onto the page, reading out another spell. "**VOTIUS!**"

Page's arms glowed even more brightly as an even larger cross strike soared out, striking the foursome and knocking them flat on their backs and bottoms. Smoke rose from their bodies and they groaned in pain as Dr. Rupert clenched his fist at them.

"I…am a HAMSTER! It is Dr. Rupert Jacques von HAMSTERVIEL, not GERBILVIEL!" He shouted, jumping up and down.

"We can beat you if we just focus on one of you at a time!" Page said. "Right doctor?"

"Right…and that's no lie!" Dr. Rupert said, raising his paw. But before he could shout another spell…

"KIYAAAH!" Nosy and his book owner rushed forward. Before the doctor could do anything, he was grabbed and tossed into the air while Nosy tried to hold Page down, mouth opening.

"**Torappu!**" His book owner shouted, and Nosy covered Page in disgusting, iron-colored ooze. Dr. Rupert tumbled around, then gasped in horror as Slobber attacked with another slobber bomb…

And he was sailing right into it!

"AAA!" he covered his eyes…

WOOMP!

Though covered in ooze, Page had flown through the air and saved him and the book. They stood back up, gasping.

"Even if we try focusing on one of them, the other rushes forward…their combo IS strong." Dr. Rupert admitted.

"Time to put an end to this!" Slobber's book owner said condescendingly. "**Kamitsubute**!" She shouted.

A slobbering bomb flew through the air, slightly faster than the one before…and now it was tinged blue.

"It's faster, but we can still outrun it!" Page said, flying off with Dr. Rupert in his arms. But as they turned…so did the bomb!

"It's a tracking bomb!" The doctor gasped. "Come on, let's run away and-"

Page's body hit the ground. He twitched and moaned. "My body…so numb…can't…move…doctor…"

Dr. Rupert gasped in horror. "_Oh no…that "Torappu" spell must unleash poison that saps the body! And we don't have any healing spells…" _

"I'll use the shielding spell!" Dr. Rupert held the book open. "**PRECOR!**"

A shining cross solidified in front of them, turning into a stone marker with a red crystal in the middle, like a sacred heart. The pulsing slobber bomb struck the marker…but then it dissolved it. True, the bomb was halted and vanished, but seeing their shielding spell so quickly destroyed…

"Darn it, it…it should have…bounced the thing back…" Page whispered.

"Let's put more energy into this one!" Slobber's book owner laughed. "**Kamitsubute!**" She shouted again. Slobber spat out an even LARGER bomb at them, and it whizzed through the air.

"Don't worry Page." Dr. Rupert said, lifting the young creature up. "Even if I have to carry you on my back…it'll be to carry you to victory! We'll find their weakness somehow!"

"Right…we can't give up no matter what!" Page said. "One can't feel afraid!"

The foursome they were facing all laughed coldly, and Nosy pointed at them, a smirk on his big-nosed face. "You think you can win? You're so stupid! This attack will take you out…_there's no WAY we four can lose!_"

"My, my…you think so, huh?"

Everyone's heads jolted up and looked in the direction of the new voice…and then another new voice shouted.

"**Munimentum!**"

A big, shield-like wall raised up, made of shimmering crystal mosaic. It halted the attack in its place and Dr. Rupert smiled at the appearance of two females…

One was a girl of Japanese origin with dark brown hair that was tied into a double ponytail on both sides of her head. She had on a red shirt with white floral patterns and black shorts. She was also wearing golden earrings. The experiment with them had a slightly cone-shaped head and pink fur covering it's body. It had a koala-like set of ears, eyes and a cute red nose. She had blue stripes at the top of her head, and a very feminine body.

"I'm Yuuka Hanako!" The girl said. "This is 618…"

"Crystallene's the name." The female experiment said.

"Let's trash these guys and show them what a real "ultimate combo" is!" The two girls said at the same time.

**PREVIEW!**

**Page: Crystallene? Yuuku? Are you our allies?**

**Crystallene: Don't worry, we're gonna help you beat this monsters!**

**Nosy: You're going to need more than a bubble-headed pinky to beat our unbeatable combo! **

**Crystallene: You may think you're pretty pink NOW, but you're going to be turning even redder when you realize your spells won't work on OUR powers!**

**Dr. Rupert: The female of the species is more deadly than the male...find out the truth of this on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy!" And if you don't review, I'll tug on my tail and make a cow drop on your head!**

**Page: Really?**

**Dr. Rupert: Nah. Lie!**

**Page: GAAAAWWWW! **


	2. Girl Power! 4 on 4!

**CHAPTER TWO:**

**少女たちの力：戦う4対4になる!**

**Girl Power! The Fight Becomes Four on Four!**

* * *

Dr. Rupert blinked a few times at the newcomers who were standing there.

"Crystallene…" Page blinked. "Y-you're here!"

The female experiment smiled at Page and gave the little angel a thumbs up. "Super psyched to see you again, Page!"

"You know this woman, I take it. I imagine she's a close friend?" Dr. Rupert asked.

"Yes, we've known each other ever since I was made. She's one of the few friends I could always count on!" Page told him.

"These guys teamed upon on you even when you're barely able to stand? I can't forgive that!" Crystallene growled, and for a moment it seemed as though flames were rising from her body. "I'm gonna TOTALLY beat 'em into the ground!"

"Woah, she seems…very intense today." Page remarked.

"Women like this get incredible strength from righteous fury." Dr. Rupert explained. "Their strong will sees them through anything!"

"HA!" Nosy's book keeper laughed. "Just because some friends of yours are here don't think you'll win!"

"You can't beat our ultimate combo!" Slobber's book keeper laughed. "Nosy, Jameson, go!"

"HOOOOAAAAHH!" The two shouted, rushing back at our protagonists, aiming to repeat what they'd done before.

"Leave this to us, okay?" Crystallene said, smiling.

"Here they com-WOAH!"

Yuuku was grabbed by Jameson while Nosy grabbed Crystallene…but being so close to her, he couldn't help but grin in a lovesick fashion.

"You're really cute. What was your breast size again? Oh yes, I remember from your diary!" Nosy stated.

Crystallene's eyebrow twitched.

"Say, if you give up, I'll let you become my queen when I'm the king of all-" The little snitch went on.

Jameson was about to knock the book out of Yuuku's hands, but suddenly she maneuvered around him and held him tightly.

"Don't mess with somebody who knows karate!" She told him.

Jameson snarled. "When I get loose, I'll-"

"GAAAAKKK!"

Jameson gasped as Crystallene began strangling Nosy…HARD.

"DON'T…YOU…F—K…WITH…ME!" She snarled.

"GUU-GUUUAAAHHH! JA-JA-JAAAYYYMAAAASOOOOONNNN!" He managed to gargle out.

Before Jameson could do anything, he was slammed face-first into the ground by Yuuku, who stood back, smirking.

"Take THIS!" Crystallene tossed Nosy far through the air, and he hit the beach with a "THA-THUD". Then she and her partner lifted Jameson up and tossed him as well. Groaning, the two evildoers managed to stagger up.

"So…you've got SOME moves…"

"Let'sss try Formation Two!" Slobber suggested.

The two twosomes raced to the other side of our protagonists, switching partners. Dr. Rupert's eyes narrowed.

"So they want to play it like THAT, do they?" He wondered. "Crystallene, Yuuku, do you have a shield that protects from more than one angle?" He whispered.

"As a matter of fact…" Yuuku began, smiling.

"**TSUBA**!"

"**WAANAA**!"

The two attacks sailed at them…but then Yuuku grinned. "I DO! **CONTEGO!**"

A rounded, dome-like shield of shimmering glass appeared around the foursome. The slobbering bomb and disgusting spit attacks fizzled against it, dissolving into nothingness.

"Ha-HA!" Yuuku said proudly. "So much…for…"

CRICK…CRICK…

"That…uh oh." Yuuku gulped.

The barrier broke apart, and the girls were sent falling down. Crystallene moaned as he held her head, which was throbbing in pain.

"Crystal…" Her partner said comfortingly as the experiment rose back up. Dr. Rupert and Page gazed at the sight of the experiment as she grit her teeth, clenching her fists.

"I wanted…to spend the day…relaxing…I had it all…planned…OUT…" She snarled.

Then she rose up to full height, shouting to the heavens. "I WANTED TO PLAY ON THE BEACH TODAY AND INSTEAD YOU JERKS ARE BEATING MY BEST BUDDY UUUUPPPP!!"

"Woah. To put it the way she would, the girl is like WOW!" Page gasped.

"Take THIS!" Yuuku said, pointing at the evil book holders. "The Third Spell, **Praesidium!"**

A crescent wave of sparkling ruby energy sailed from Crystallene's hands as she flung it at the female bookholder and Nosy. The female grabbed Nosy from behind and held him up.

"AAA! Don't use me as a shield, I bruise easil-"

HYUOOOOO!

"AAAAA!!"

"AAAAAA!"

The two of them hit the ground, groaning. The human was MOSTLY alright, but Nosy was covered in soot.

"You B—TCH!" Jameson howled, shaking his fist at the woman. "Marian, watch what you're doing to my partner!!"

"Don'tcha even THINK about doing that again!" Nosy sobbed, wiping his big nose as he ran back to Jameson. "Hey wait…the damage is not that bad." Nosy realized. "Yeah, of course! Her defenses are always amazing, but her attack stinks! That's her weakness!"

"We can ssstill beat her then!" Slobber hissed happily.

"I have an idea." Dr. Riddles said, whispering to Yuuku, Crystallene and Page. "There's some sappy spit left over on the ground. What if…"

Whisper-whisper-whisper…

"WHAT?!" Page gasped. "But…but that close to a-that's so…UNCLEAN!"

"It's the best way we can win!" Dr. Rupert insisted. "You don't want these monsters to beat you, do you?" He asked.

"Fine, I suppose that…the Lord will understand." Page muttered, face turning red. "But let's do this quickly…"

The bickering book keepers from before were suddenly surprised as another cross-blast was sent flying at them. They shielded their eyes as sand was sent flying everywhere, obstructing their vision for a small while…

"Can that choir boy MOVE?" Nosy remarked. "No way, he was stuck to-LOOK!"

They saw a form…it was Crystallene, and she was running at top speed right towards them!

"It'sss only that dumb girl, we can beat her!" Slobber hissed. "Marian, cassst a-"

"Take THIS!" Crystallene jumped into the air and turned around…revealing Page…who was still covered in the sticky sap and was now stuck to her back. He grinned and spread his arms.

"Surprise!" He quipped.

**"VOTIUS!"** Dr. Rupert shouted.

The blazing burst of cross energy shot out, striking Jameson, Marian, Slobber and Nosy and sending them to the ground. Their bodies smoked as they lay there, groaning.

"Nooo…we can't lose!" Nosy sobbed, getting to his knees. "We worked so hard…we worked so hard!" He gasped out, thinking back to all his progress.

They'd gone running to increase their speed…had lifted weights, trained in all sorts of forests and alleys in order to perfect their technique…how could they lose HERE?!

"JAMESOOOOON!" Nosy screamed, slamming his fists into his red/magenta book…

Suddenly it popped open, and a new spell was revealing, glowing brightly.

"A…new…spell!" Jameson gasped. "We…we can still win this! Let's combine our forces again and-"

"No way!" Marian hissed, slapping him across the face as she stood back up. Slobber and Nosy gulped. "Your little puppet doesn't even make a good shield!"  
  
"Hag woman!" Jameson howled.

"Hoo boy." Page moaned. "Whatever happened to "Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself"?"

"Let's finish this…" Dr. Rupert said, nodding.

"WIIIIITCH!" Jameson yelled, jumping up and down and pointing at Marian.

"To heck with you, we don't need your help!" Marian screeched.

"**VOTIUS**!"

SHA-BOOOOOM!

The two experiments and their book keepers were sent flying into the air. Marian gasped as she saw her book dissipate, and Slobber managed to get out a final wail before he vanished, fading into nothingness.

"AAA! Slobber!"

"We've got to use our new spell!" Nosy moaned as he stood back up. Jameson picked up his book and quickly read it out loud…

"The Third Spell…**KEMURI**!" Jameson shouted.

Nosy inhaled deeply, and then blew out an IMMENSE inky cloud of darkness that covered the whole area.

"What the?" Crystallene blinked. "What the heck is this?"

"Run for it!" Nosy shouted.

He and his book keeper were out of there, vanishing through the darkness. When the smoke cleared, they were long gone.

"Phooey! I wanted ta burn their book!" Crystallene said, kicking the sand.

"Yeah, that's nice, er…can we…get me off of you now? This feels really uncomfortable." Page said, waving his arms in flailing manner since he was still stuck to her back.

…

…

…

…after washing Page off and drying him and Crystallene, the book keepers sat down on the beach and allowed the wind to lazily drift through their hair.

"So you're not from this planet, are you?" Yuuku asked Dr. Rupert.

The doctor laughed. "No, no, I'm actually from Mars!"

"Really?" She asked.

"Lie." He said cheekily.

Yuuku rolled her eyes. "Ugh."

"I'm from Planet Jennet. I'm a Muridean." He explained, gesticulating. "A doctor of science, of internal medicine, and my specialty…" He smiled. "Pediatrics."

Crystallene and Page were building sand castles. Page had built a HUGE cathedral made of sand, and Page was placing little stained glass windows inside.

"Many experiments have small little powers like being able to eat things bigger than their head, being able to fly, having increased strength…" Dr. Rupert told Yuuku. "All this I have learned from Page's recollections. I see that your partner has a power too…"

"Yes, she generates crystals." Yuuku said happily. "She made…" The Japanese girl blushed. "She made me this."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small little flat crystal slab. It was shaped in a "kanji" character.

"Ah, the symbol for friendship, koyouu." Dr. Rupert realized.

"She made it for me as a gift. It's to symbolize our friendship." Yukuu said. "I met her when she was all alone and on the run from somebody who betrayed her friendship." The girl lowered her head. "I helped her trust again…but I don't think she's gotten over the string yet of losing him…he was her old boyfriend, you see."

"You mean to tell me that Tank attacked you?!" Page gasped as Crystallene told him the whole story. "But…why would he do that? It's true I didn't like the way he treated ME, but he was always so nice to you…"

"The moment we entered the contest, he decided to become my enemy…he said nobody can stay friends in this competition, but…that's not true…"

She raised her head back up, blinking back tears as fast as she could. "Right?"

Page took her by her shoulders and held her tightly. "Right. I'm your friend. I always will be. Nothing will change that. Not some dumb completion, not our father's orders, not even the sky falling from the heavens." He let go and held her hand. "Now come on…let's go get some ice cream!"

"You want ice cream again?" Dr. Rupert asked. "All right…but first I want to show you something…"

FIVE MINUTES LATER.

"See that?" Dr. Rupert said, pointing at the white and black-patched animal in front of Page that was inside of a big, grassy pen. "That's the animal that ice cream comes from. It's frozen milk, cream and sugar and flavorings and other ingredients…and dairy products like milk and cheese and cream comes from that pink thing below it's body…that's called an udder."

"…uh…" Page blinked stupidly. Then he turned to face the doctor. "That's a lie, right?"

Dr. Rupert smiled cheekily. "Nah. Truth!"

"AAAAHHH!!"

PLOP.

Page fainted dead away as Dr. Rupert laughed and laughed along with Crystallene and Yuuku.

…

…

…

…"You…you're out there somewhere…"

The green form had his arms crossed as he stared out over the sea.

"Father always ignored me for you. Oh 626, you're SOOO great…"

He clenched his fist. "I can feel you…you're getting stronger with that book owner of yours. Good…because I want to prove, that even when you're at your strongest…you can't beat me! Then he'll appreciate me at last!" He laughed. "Won't you be surprised, brother o' mine?"

"You and me will make it to the TOP!" His book owner said. "Then we'll show both our families just how strong one can get when you're fighting on your own!"

The green form nodded and turned to his book owner. "Right! Now let's head out…we need to practice some more..."

**PREVIEW!**

**Dr. Rupert: Why, what a strange creature! How odd that it appeared so suddenly...**

**Page: Aw, it's CUTE!**

**Dr. Rupert: Don't be fooled by it's appearance...never judge a book by it's cover...although sometimes if you look hard enough, you'll discover the truth that's hidden deep behind a smile...and see a crying soul within...**

**Page: Discover the truth behind the new being's loneliness on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"! **


	3. Please Be My Friend!

**CHAPTER THREE:**

**私の友人になってください！どのような赤ちゃん竜の起源は何ですか？**

**Please Be My Friend! What is the Origin of the Baby Dragon?**

* * *

**"Hello! I'm the amazing Dr. Rupert who knows everything! Today I'm going to teach you about the Hawaiian language! It's FASCINATING, so I've decided to write down a bunch of words and terms you should know and carry around so that you can practice them all the time…because let's face it, we ALL want to retire to Hawaii when we're 60-something years old…"**

**Thank you: Mahalo!**

**You're welcome: He hea iki!**

**Sure thing: Oia'i'o!**

**Oh dear (crap or any other similar exclamation): Aue! **

**Good morning: Aloha kakahiaka!**

**Good evening: Aloha ahiahi!**

**Good afternoon: Aloha auihala!**

**Great: Nui!**

**Very Great: Nui Ioa!**

**How Are You: Pehea 'oe?**

**What's that: He aha kela? **

**Alright: Hiki!**

**All right then: 'oia ho'i ha!**

**It's alright: 'oia ae lano!**

**No: A'ole!**

**Yes: 'Ae!**

**"Now then…be sure to put these words to good use…'oia ho'i ha! On with the story! **

"Ahh." Dr. Rupert said, stretching his arms. "What a lovely place for a vacation."

He and Page had decided to take a trip to the one and only California. Specifically, San Francisco. Page had been very anxious to see the "Golden Gate Bridge".

Now they were waiting in the airport baggage claim area for their stuff. Page was happily reading through C.S. Lewis's "Surprised by Joy" while the doctor stood by the baggage dock. Then something happened…

The doctor smelled it first. Then he saw it…a string attached to his bag…and a little being attached to that string!

"…you're…a dragon experiment, aren't you." Dr. Rupert commented, crossing his arms.

"Gon-gon-gon-gon!" The little thing said happily, bouncing up and down. It was a cute little dragon with big eyes, a happy smile, and refined, gentle-looking wings. It had rather small claws that appeared sheathed at the moment which were made of silver, just like the talons on it's feet. It had a big white heart insignia on the front of it's scaled chest, and had a crest of silver spikes running down the top of it's head to the end of it's tail.

"Aw, you're a cute little thing." Dr. Rupert remarked.

"Oh my." Page remarked as the little dragon hopped off the baggage claim strip, untying itself. It began to lick Page in the face over and over. "Ha-ha-ha! Stop that, I'm-I'm ticklish!" He protested.

"Aw, you know Page, little dragon?" Dr. Rupert asked, reaching forward.

The dragon promptly bit his hand. Then chewed.

"YEEEEOOOOWWWW!!"

…

…

…

… "You're a HORRIBLE little beast!" Dr. Rupert muttered. "And you're not staying in this hotel with us!"

"Come on! It's unchristian to turn away a person in need!" Page insisted, putting one furry paw/hand on his chest. "Love thy neighbor!"

"Yes, well don't you call Satan "an old dragon"?!" Dr. Rupert defended, pointing at the Gideon Bible on the room's tabletop.

"Yeah, but this is a little kid." Page defended. "And everyone knows that if you care for a child properly, it'll usually grow up to be a good, kind adult."

"I can't deny that sort of logic, considering I believe in the "nuture over nature" argument." Dr. Rupert admitted as the little dragon bounced up and down on what SHOULD have been HIS bed.

"Come on, little dragon, let's go to the exercise room! I'll hold onto a pair of weights and you roll me around like a wheelbarrow!" Page suggested. "But first, I'll go get you some soda! Would you like a root beer?"

The little dragon nodded.

"Okay, be right back." Page said, waving as he left the room.

"Baun-baun-baun!" The dragon laughed as he kept bouncing on the bed. "Baun-baun-baun!"

"Ugh. I have a bad feeling about-what the?"

Dr. Rupert had opened up the back pocket of the bag that the dragon had tied itself to. And there…was a book…an experiment's book. It was colored the same peaceful emerald green as the dragon was.

"You ARE an experiment." Dr. Rupert remarked.

"Washa-washa!" The experiment said, holding the book up. It was tied in such a fashion that it was made into a makeshift backpack thanks to the rope that was wrapped around it. Then the thing tried to untie it.

"…" It frowned as it realized it couldn't untie it's own knot. "Giri-giri…" The little thing mumbled.

"Hold on." Dr. Rupert said, holding up some scissors. He cut through the ropes.

The dragon held the remains of the ropes in his hands. He tried to put the two pieces together…no luck. "Gata-gata…gata…gata…"

Then he stood up and pointed at the doctor, yelling. "**POKU-POKU-POKU! POKUPOKUPOKUPOKUPOKUUUU!**"

"Don't worry, I can understand every single word that you're saying." Dr. Rupert said.

The little dragon's eyes widened. "**Ji**?"

"Nope. Lie." Dr. Rupert said cheekily.

The little guy went blind with rage as his teeth gnashed.

Five…minutes…later…

"Doctor, look who's also staying in the hotel with us!" Page said as he entered with Yuuku and Crystallene.

"Life sure is funny, huh?" Yuuku began to say…

Then they gasped. A little emerald dragon was beating the crud out of Dr. Rupert!

"OW-OW-OW-OW-OWWWW!"

Page pulled the dragon off. "What's the matter? Did the doctor tell a lie again?"

The dragon nodded over and over.

"Honestly. You should know better than to make a widdle baby draggy CWY." Yuuku said as she petted the little thing.

"Look at this face! I think he almost broke my cheekbone!" Dr. Rupert gasped out. "I'M the victim here! He attacked me for no reason!"

"Aw, he's cuuuute!" Crystallene said as the dragon licked her face over and over, going "Don-don-don". "You just need to open your heart."

"I'm not sure that alone shall do it." Dr. Rupert said sadly. "Dragons EAT prey-type beings like me!"

"Just give it a try!" Crystallene said. "Repeat after me…Don-don-don!"

"…don-don-don." Dr. Rupert remarked.

"More OOMPH! Don-don-don!" Crystallene said, pointing in the air.

The doctor felt a warm, fuzzy feeling enter him. "Don-don-don!"

"Now come on! Whole-heartedly!" Crystallene said, clapping her hands.

"**Don-don-**_**doooon**_!" Dr. Rupert said, spreading his arms out in a big hug gesture. You could really feel the love…

The little dragon promptly fell onto his back, the snorting of air that came from his nose had been jet-propelled! Now he was barely able to stand up because he was unmistakably laughing so hard it was difficult to breathe. "HUA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!"

"AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!" Dr. Rupert howled, waving his hands in the air as he bounced up and down, tail lashing on the ground. The dragon watched it go up and down, eyes going wide. "I'M TRYING TO BE NICE AND YOU'RE TOTALLY…YOU LITTLE…AAARRRGGH!"

Then the dragon grabbed his tail and chomped on it.

"NUOOOOOOHHHHH!!"

Dr. Rupert hit the ceiling and was embedded in there for a few minutes. Naturally the dragon had let go of his tail when that had happened. They all watched as his form was stock still…

Then he spoke.

"That…is it. Get out. Now. You followed us back without invitation, you bit me, you insult me…GET OUT OR I'LL TURN YOU INTO A PAIR OF BOOTS!!" He howled, falling out of the ceiling and pointing at the little dragon, eyes-ablaze. "YOU ANNOYING LITTLE WYRM, **GET OUT OF HERE**!"

The little dragon's eyes filled with tears. Sobbing, it grabbed it's book and ran out the window, down the sidewalk and out into town.

"How can you be so mean to him!" Yuuku said angrily.

"He's an experiment." Dr. Rupert said. "Eventually he'd trick us and try to fight…"

"That's not it." Page said angrily. "You were just mad at him for biting you and you have prejudice against his species!"

Dr. Rupert was quiet for a few moments. Then he crossed his arms. "I'm sure his book owner was just lying in wait until we…until…we…"

An idea hit him.

What if…

"FOLLOW THAT DRAGON!" He shouted, jumping out the window and running down the sidewalk.

"What the?!" Yuuku shouted.

"Just go with it!" Page yelled as they ran after him.

…

…

…

…Dr. Rupert watched from a tree branch as the little dragon tried to get people to pay attention to him in the middle of San Francisco. He had his book open and was showing the inside to people…but nobody seemed to be paying enough attention to him. Furthermore, for those who WERE stopping to pay attention to him…

"Aw, what a cute little lizard! It must be a new breed."

"Where's your owner, little dude?"

"What a HIDEOUS creature!"

Nobody could read the inside of his book. Not a single person.

Dr. Rupert crossed his arms, thinking.

"I get it." He realized to himself, tail held aloft. "He's without a master and not merely that, he's desperately showing it to every person around. He must feel so alone…scared, anxious, lonely. In a world where almost every face you know is a stranger or an enemy…"

Dr. Rupert sighed. "He liked Crystallene and Page because they were fellow experiments. He's like a little child…he could tell I didn't belong with the people around here, and he could tell I wasn't an experiment, so he was frightened of me…and he can't even speak our language, so there's no way he could converse with me in an intelligent manner…"

Dr. Rupert smiled as he approached the dragon and tapped him on the shoulder. "Say…can I talk to you?"

The dragon blinked. "You...help?" It asked in one of the few "Basic" sentences it knew.

"Yes…I want to help."

…

…

…

…Page, Yuuku, Crystallene and Dr. Rupert looked at the little dragon as it held it's book. They were standing on the walking area of the Golden Gate Bridge.

"You're feeling very lonely…and I was insensitive. I should have been more conscious of your feelings. For that…I apologize." Rupert said, bowing down. "It can get lonely when you're on your own in this world. So until you find your book owner, you can stay with us!"

The little dragon's eyes went wide. Then it happily hugged Dr. Rupert, bouncing up and down. "YAAAAAY!"

"But we don't even know your name."

The little dragon blinked. Then it slapped it's chest, then pointed at it's wings. They blinked.

"…er…right." Dr. Rupert remarked. "Well, luckily for you, I WAS able to decipher the front text of experimental books. It has their designation on it. So we'll call you by your designation…421!"

The dragon sighed sadly.

"Which is fitting." The rabbit/gerbil/hamster doctor went on. "Because if you add 4 by 2 and then add one to that, you get seven. And the Beast is supposed to have 7 horns, and seven heads…"

…

…

…

…"AAAH! STOP BITING ME, STOP BITING ME, STOP BITING ME! DO I LOOK LIKE I HAVE "TENDERLOIN" WRITTEN ON MY FOREHEAD?!"

"421, STOP!"

"TUG HARDER! **HARDER**!"

"I'M **TRYING!**"

**PREVIEW!**

**Dr. Rupert: Ah ha! At last we see new fighters!**

**Page: Who are they again?**

**Dr. Rupert: 621 and his book keeper have specific goals and strong wills...**

**Page: Well so do we! Let's see if they're worthy of knowing "the truth"...let's test them out on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	4. A Boy and His Pet Ogre?

**

* * *

**

CHAPTER FOUR:

**少年と彼のペットの鬼？彼らの話は何ですか？**

**A Boy and his Pet Ogre? What is Their Story?**

* * *

"Ta-da!"

"Woah! Flowers came out of his jacket!"

"Amazing!"

"How'd you do that?"

A small crowd of children had gathered around a rabbit in a dazzling blue and red jacket that made him look like a magical doctor…and guess what?

"I can do it because I'm the Magical Doctor Rupert!" He said proudly.

"That's right!" A fluffy, beautiful-looking little angel said as it stood next to him in a wagon. "Dr. Rupert can do anything and KNOWS anything!"

"Woah, the doll can talk?"

"Nah, it's "ventriloquism"." The red-haired Myrtle Edmonds insisted as she put her hands on her hips.

"You sure know a lot, red-headed girl!" Dr. Rupert remarked. "Now watch THIS!"

He snapped his paw. Suddenly birds flew out from Myrtle's dress and then wrapped strings around her, lifting her up into the air.

"WOAAAAHHH! HEEEELP!" She cried out.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaa!" He laughed loudly, trying to cover his mouth.

"Doctor, don't laugh at her misfortune." The doll said in a disapproving manner.

"Should we let her down?" Dr. Rupert asked it. "I suppose we should…"

He snapped his paw digits again. The birds turned into lovely balloons, and they carefully lowered her down to the ground before popping.

"Did you have fun?" Both the doll and the doctor spoke.

"Y-Yes…" Myrtle whispered, eyes going wide with shock.

"A pretty set of flowers for a pretty girl." The albino rabbit said as he handed the batch of flowers to her. "Enjoy." He said, bowing deeply before he walked off with the doll in the wagon.

"He…he talked at the same time as the doll did…" Myrtle realized once the other kids had left. "H-how?"

…

…

…

…Dr. Rupert and the "doll" were sitting in a restaurant booth, sitting down to eat. Next to them was a little green dragon who was sipping on a soda…okay, not sipping so much as CHUGGING.

"You really shouldn't bully her." The doll that was not really a doll spoke admonishingly.

"I know, I know, but she called me a "gerbil" earlier. I cannot STAND that." He admitted.

"You're not really a gerbil and I'm not really a doll. I'm an alien experiment and should be happy with that." The "doll" said.

"Yes, Page. You're a marvel of genetic engineering and don't you forget that!" Dr. Rupert said. "Now…watch THIS!"

He held one digit up to a jacket pot and opened it up, revealing nothing was inside. Then he tapped it, then reached into it and began pulling out a string of flags. He placed the first flag into the Chinese rice in a bowl before him and began eating away.

CHOMPA-CHOMPA-CHOMP!

"Ahh, this is great rice!"

"You're a regular Simon Magus!" Page remarked. "I wish I could do that! You learned all sorts of tricks from years of reading…"

"And from Pediatrics!" Dr. Rupert laughed. "Don't worry, when you get older, you'll be able to pull flags from out of your own nose!"

"Really?" Page asked, eyes a-twinkling.

"Nope! Lie!" Dr. Rupert said, smiling cheekily.

DOOOOOOOM!

"GAAAAWWWW!" Page moaned, hanging his head as a cloud of doom and gloom hung over him.

"Aw, cheer up! We're going to be meeting some very interesting people soon. I've been doing research on them these past few months. The human is a boy that is twelve years old. " Dr. Rupert told Page. "His name is Nick Grey. He has lived on Niihau for years all by himself and has been accepted as a ward of the state since his parents gave him up. He has a lot of people who _tolerate_ him there but few real friends. "

"And who's his partner?" Page asked.

"It's an experiment with the designation 621…his name is Chopsuey. From what Crystallene told me and from what other demons we've fought after saying goodbye to her and Yuuku, Chopsuey is very famous…or infamous, depending on whom you talk to…"

"621? Hmm…you know, I remember 621 but I never really TALKED with him." Page admitted. "My close circle of friends didn't talk much him either…so I don't really know anything. Sorry." He apologized. "But is he strong?"

"Yes, but YOU'RE the strongest experiment in the entire world!" Dr. Rupert told Page, pointing at his partner.

"Really?" Page asked, holding his hands together.

"Naaah! Lie." Dr. Rupert laughed, shrugging.

Page's mouth hung back open again. "GAAAWWW…"

"But to be honest, we can't tell right now who is the strongest." Dr. Rupert said, waving a paw digit in the air. "I've been collecting data from people all over the world thanks to my contacts. We've located some powerful experiments…only time will tell if Chopsuey is one of them."

FWUMP!

The little dragon had fainted from a sugar rush brought on by the soda. It moaned slightly as it saw little stars circle around it's head. Dr. Rupert rolled his eyes.

"You're so _smart_, Dr. Rupert." Page said happily. "It's important to be innocent as doves but wise as serpents."

"Yes, and I know that you'll do great in this fight." Dr. Rupert said. "Children are like arrows in the hand of a warrior." He quoted from the Biblical psalms. "I should know, I'm Dr. Rupert, who's knows all about the fight between experiments…your book…"

He smiled in a dramatic fashion. "And your creator, _**Dr. Jumba Jookiba**_!"

…

…

…

…"Hmm…how can the book help us become stronger, Chopsuey? We have to be as strong as Stitch…"

A young boy of 12 years of age was sitting in a chair in her house, looking down at a book that was the same shade of green his partner's body was.

This too was a book owner…a dedicated and strong-hearted one at that. He had been set up for adoption by his family at the age of 6 and had been forced to live on his own on the island of Niihau. Separated from much of the world itself, Nick had grown up eccentric…thus he didn't have that many friends. Then things began to change when he met his partner.

He looked somewhat like an alien koala, with a big nose, black eyes and black claws. He had green fur, a whitish/yellow stomach, and large ears. He had a whitish/yellow Mohawk and was slightly skinny and taller than most experiments. He had two sharp "dragon fangs" that were sticking up from his lower jaw. He was looking at the book on the table before them as well, and thinking.

"Hmm…how can I become stronger than Stitch?" He thought. "What do YOU think, Nick?" He asked his partner as he scratched his stomach.

"I've been thinking about it a lot lately…in order to become stronger, I've been studying different strategies and tactics from my collection of movies and manga." Nick told Chops. "But even if we can out-think an opponent, eventually somebody's gonna come along that'll have enough strength to knock you out without a second thought, so the only solution…"

He stood up and clenched his fist. "Is that you gotta **power up!** "Digivolve" and all that stuff!"

His partner blinked. "Er…alright, but…uh…how?"

"The book we have…" Nick said, putting his hand on it. "It's got the secret, I know it…and I'll figure it out eventually! I just have to think…I've got an IQ over 140, I can figure it out-"

"DING-DONG!"

"Ooh! Somebody's at the door!" Nick said. "I'd better go get it…"

"No need, I let myself in!" A ringing, happy voice spoke.

The boy and his partner turned their heads in time to see something that was unmistakably an experiment.

"You're Nick and Chopsuey, right?" The experiment asked. "My designation is 620, but please call me Page!" He told them politely. "I've heard a lot of things about you! My book owner's outside and would like to meet with you."

Nick blinked at the sight of this new enemy, then turned to Chopsuey. "Let's go, Chops!"

"Alright, let's see what this is about." Chopsuey said.

…

…

…

…walking outside they were confronted by a rabbit-like creature in a red and blue jacket who stood by Page.

"Uh…where's your book owner?" Nick asked.

"I, dear boy, am his book owner." The rabbit said, bowing. Nick took a closer look at this albino and realized that the rabbit was holding onto a book that was the same color as experiment 620's eyes…it was true!

"I am his partner…and I…am the amazing know-it-all Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel!" The rabbit/gerbil/hamster thing announced, spreading his arm wide in a dramatic pose. Then he pointed at Nick. "And you are Nick Grey, set up for adoption at age 6! You hate seafood with a passion and you're 12 years of age…your birthday's this January in fact! Also, you didn't shower today...do not look so surprised! I know **all** about you and 62!!"

"His name is CHOPSUEY." Nick said, stomping her foot down.

"My apologies. In any case, I'M not going to be the one fighting you." Dr. Rupert said, putting his hand on his chest. "You see, I've got some friends who will be doing the honors. From the American Mainland…BEHOLD THE MAJESTIC TWELVE!"

He snapped his paw digits and twelve shapes leapt out from the nearby bushes and trees, taking battle poses.

"Twelve…assassins?" Chopsuey asked, looking concerned.

"SUPERHEROES!" Nick corrected, eyes going wide. "WOW!"

"First there's Two Lightning Eye, who can shoot light beams from his eyes!" Dr. Rupert announced. "Then there's Rocket Foot, who can run at 300 kilometers per hour! The warrior who can fly like a plane, Flying Beat! With the ability to see through everything, the powerful Second Sight!" With the arm strength of a dinosaur…Dinosaur Arm! The man gifted with foresight…Wonderful to the Future! A wild man with telekinetic power…Psycho Jungle! The one who can control fire at will…Fire Elbow! And Big Boing!"

"Big…Boing?"

Chopsuey and Nick looked at this woman. She had blond hair, a VERY beautiful face, and...well…

"She's certainly got huge…tracts of land…" Nick commented.

"Then there's the youngest member, who can freeze anything…Blizzard Thing!" Dr. Rupert went on. "With the ability to move at high speed underground…Tremor Mole! The control tower for all these abilities…Telepath Radar!"

"Should we just use Kimaira?" Chopsuey whispered to Nick.

"No, remember what happened last time we summoned it?" He whispered back.

Chopsuey nodded then faced the strange superhero group again. That's right…the spell "Kimaira" was immensely powerful, but the attack seemed to have a mind of it's own. It was apparently a spell that should be used for the sake of justice, not for something as petty as blowing away an annoying guest…

"And now…ha-ha-ha-ha!" Dr. Rupert smiled and put one hand on his hip while gesturing to the superheroes. "Among these superheroes, which doesn't belong?"

Nick's eyes went wide. His mouth went open. Chopsuey fell flat on his back, sweat-dropping.

"…"

Dear GOD, he was serious!

Finally Nick slapped his hand over his eyes and groaned. "...it's...Big Boing, right?"

The superheroes all cheered. "CORRECT!" Dr. Rupert laughed. "I knew you were a smart child! But she only is the right answer because she's the only woman."

"Wait…she HAS a power?" Nick asked.

"Yes. She smells like lavender all the time." Dr. Rupert remarked.

Chopsuey took a whiff. "…heyyy…he's right!"

"Well, this was my loss." Dr. Rupert said, shrugging. "Farewell for now! Let us meet again!"

The superheroes walked off with Page and Dr. Rupert right behind them. Nick and Chopsuey walked back into the house, sat down in the chairs they'd been in before, and their heads hit the kitchen table.

"…do you think they're gonna come back?" Nick moaned.

"…_yeah_…" Chopsuey sobbed.

SCRATCH-SCRATCH…

They blinked. Somebody at the door?

Opening it up, they saw a little dragon there. It looked at Nick and then held open an experiment book, pointing at it. "Bon-bon?"

"…uh, sorry…I have a partner, little guy." Nick said sadly.

The dragon moaned. "Giri-giri-giri…" He muttered, looking at the ground and walking off, shaking it's little head. Nobody understood him…

"Poor little guy." Nick said in a sympathetic tone.

"Somehow he seems…familiar…" Chopsuey admitted. "I get the feeling I've seen him before…"

**Preview:**

****

**Page: Those two don't know anything about the mystery of the book or where spells come from, do they?**

**Dr. Rupert: That's why we'll teach them the best way possible...through a fight!**

**Nick: If you know something, you'd better tell us!**

Chopsuey: I lost before to my brother and lost my father's respect and love...I will not lose anything else, especially not a fight against YOU two!

Page: A great struggle occurs on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"! Don't miss it!


	5. This Kid's Supposed to be INVINCIBLE?

**CHAPTER FIVE:**

**この子供無敵されることになっているか****?**

**This Kid is Supposed to be INVINCIBLE? **

* * *

Two pairs were going to bed that night…and both were thinking about a meeting with new, interesting people…

But the first pair thought about another pair of interesting new people they'd met some time ago…

…

…

…

…"Hmm-hmm-hmm…hmm-hmm-hmm…" Page was humming to himself as he skipped down the sidewalk back to Dr. Rupert's large mansion. He was in a very good mood…he and the doctor had been cleaning up the entire mansion to make it look stunning…now the whole place had floors so clean you could literally EAT off them!

Granted, the cleaning supplies they used would give you diarrhea as a result of said meal, but still…

Page now began to sing a little song, since he was feeling so good. He'd just bought a HUGE loaf of French Bread at the store along with a "Get-Well-Soon" card for Dr. Rupert…since the poor guy had eaten a carrot off the floor, not knowing of the effects of the cleaning fluid they'd used in the kitchen.

"Some bright morning, when this life is over, I'll fly away, fly away!" With every "fly away", Page leapt into the air and hovered slightly, using his wings. "Oh until the shadows of this life are gone…I'll fly away, fly away! I'll fly away, fly away oh glory, glory, I'll fly away, fly away, in the morning! When I die, Hallelujah by and by…I'll fly away, fly away!"

He walked up the stairs into the room and held the French bread and "Get-Well-Soon" card up. The card had a big smiley face on the front, with an inside that read, hand-written, "because I can't do the laundry, wash the dishes, pay the bills or get food by myself so I'm hungry". "Doctor! I got a great loaf of…of…huh?"

The doctor turned to look at him, his gerbilish eyes blinking back, red. His fur seemed more matted down today, his face smoother.

"Uh…doctor? Are you alright? Has your fever gone down?" Page asked gently.

"Is something wrong, Page?" Dr. Rupert asked him, looking at him. "Don't worry…" He smiled happily. "I'm feeling much better!" He remarked, grinning. "Come on, lemme give you a hug!"

"Wow, he's being really nice today!" Page wondered to himself. He held up the French bread loaf. "I got you French Bread! Fiber's good for you and all that!"

"Right! Let's eat it together then!" Dr. Rupert said eagerly, drooling slightly.

"Okay, here." Page said, giving Dr. Rupert the loaf. The doctor promptly bit into it and began wolfing it down!

…_okay_…

"Uh…shouldn't you be more careful? You might choke. I've never seen you eat so…wildly." Page remarked, rubbing the back of his head.

Dr. Rupert stopped snarfing down the bread and broke the rest of it off after swallowing what was in his mouth. "I'm sorry, Page…that fever left me STARVING." He smiled. "I'm really grateful to have such a sweet person like you to look after me here."

Page felt sparkly stars enter his eyes. "Aww, THANK you, doctor!" He said happily as he began to eat his part of the bread.

Meanwhile, from up above, on the ceiling.

"Page…don't let this sham of a doctor fool you!" Dr. Rupert moaned to himself. He had a heavy and thick piece of tape over his mouth and had been tied to the roof with big metal bonds that looked like they'd been made in some kid's "Shop" class. "This being is obviously an imposter! Page, for the love of your God who you say is so merciful, please figure it out! I mean, LOOK at him!" He thought to himself. "He's really an experiment who can transform!"

After Page had finished eating the French Bread, he put the get well card on the bedstand while "Dr. Rupert" rubbed his chin. "So how many spells have you learned again?" He asked.

"Don't you remember? 3!" Page said. He then began to sing again. "When the shadows of this life have gone…I'll fly away, fly away!"

"Dr. Rupert" looked to the side. If this was a cartoon, a storm cloud would have popped over his head. He moaned a little. "Oh…of…course…" He mumbled. "Even though you're a sissy Bible-Thumper…"

"Huh? What?" Page asked.

"Nothing, nothing." "Dr. Rupert muttered. "Say…do you remember where I put the book? I'm so forgetful today, I just can't remember where I put it!" He remarked.

"Hmm…" Page rubbed his head. "Uh…er…"

"If you don't remember right away, it's alright." The fake Dr. Rupert said. "I mean, nobody's perfect. I'm made fun of all the time because I'm a gerbil."

**_That…_**

**_Was…_**

**_It._**

"RAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHH!!"

With a terrible howl Dr. Rupert tore his body free from the bonds and fell down to the ground with a "THA-THUNK". The fake and Page turned to look at him as he stood up, body quivering with fury, paws clenched into fists.

"THAT DOES IT! THAT DOES IIIT!" He snarled. "How can you not tell that that imposter isn't me, Page?!" He moaned. "Look at him! He looks like a gerbil! He ACTS like a gerbil! And I…AM…A…**HAMSTERRRR**!" He howled, tearing at his fur.

"Uh…um…oops." Page said, covering his mouth with his hands, blushing.

"No, no, I'M the real doctor. So where's your book?" The fake asked.

"Thou shall not lie!" Dr. Rupert snapped, whacking the fake over the head. BA-BOINK!

"OW!"

POOF!

There, before their eyes, the fake doctor transformed into a reddish, blob-like creature with black eyes that had been filled with tears at being hit. He had stubby little arms and legs, and was quivering with a mixture of anger, fear and pain.

"Th-that hurt! You-you didn't hafta hit me or nothin'!" He muttered. "You could have…well you didn't have to hit me!" He insisted. "I'm gonna call my book owner!" He shouted.

"...really?" Dr. Rupert asked, folding his arms. "Well go ahead." He remarked angrily.

"SPUUUUUD!" The blob yelled out.

**SFX: Cricket chirps**

"…"

"…"

"…he's not coming. Alright, start talking, what's your name, blob?" Dr. Rupert asked.

"…Morpholomew." The red blob said, sinking to his "knees".

"And where'd you come from?"

"…New York City." He said.

"The mainland? New York City itself? Gotham, the Big Apple?" Dr. Rupert asked. "The most politest city in all the world?"

"Yep." Morpholomew agreed, nodding his head.

"Why'd you come all the way HERE?" Dr. Rupert asked.

"…er…well…it doesn't matter!" The little red blob said, standing back up and pointing at the sky. "Spud's gonna come back here any second now!"

"Oh you mean that kid with the brown hair?" Dr. Rupert asked. "When I wouldn't say where the book was, he stuck me to the ceiling and left." Dr. Rupert told Page. "I'm guessing he was…" He rubbed his chin. "13, 14 years old…yes, fourteen. Dark brown eyes…kind of a slacker-like appearance about him. No idea where he went though."

"He went to go impressive geeky chicks at the arcade." Morpholomew muttered quietly.

"WHAAAAAA!?" Page shouted, eyes going wide. "Your book owner left you to go SMOOZING with ladies!? How…how unconscionable!"

Dr. Rupert slapped his paw to his face and brought it down slowly. "The Japanese call the practice of skirt-chasing "nanda"…great. Our new foe is a geeky pervert."

"Don't call him that"! Morpholomew said, tears springing to his black eyes as he stood up and shook his stubby hands at them. "Spud's amazing! He's super smart! He's a great skateboarder! He's been in TV shows! He's even released CDs of his One-Man-Band!" He insisted angrily. "When he comes back, he'll kick your cans!"

"…wait…Arthut T. Spudinski? Is that the "Spud" you are referring to?" Dr. Rupert asked. "Because if it is the "Spud" I've heard of…then he's going to be a while…"

MEANWHILE, NOT VERY FAR AWAY…

"Woah, woah, hold on ladies, I don't have enough hands for all of you!"

"Oh PLEASE, Spud! Give me a kiss!"

"He is so cuuuute! Smells like potatoes, but he's cute…"

"I'd let him dance MY Revolution…"

SOME TIME LATER…

"…I'm going to go wash the cars. Let me know when your book owner comes back." Dr. Rupert remarked, walking back out of the bathroom.

"…this is kind of like when I'd play "Monopoly" against Precious. She'd always win because I'd always quit from boredom when she kept taking her time with dice rolls." Page said, lying on his back on the bed.

Morpholomew was sucking on a lollipop, looking very disappointed.

"Are you sure that he's coming back?" Page asked about an hour later. The red blob had finished with the candy and the doctor had come back from washing the cars.

"He might have run off…" Dr. Rupert admitted.

"He'd NEVER run off!" Morpholomew insisted.

"Dang right!"

They turned and saw a brown-haired boy wearing a long-sleeve dark blue shirt, a skateboarder's cap/hood over his head and baggy pants walk in. He had a LOT of hickeys on him and he…well, he smelled. Like potatoes.

"Spud!" Morpholomew said happily.

"I can't BELIEVE you went chasing after the locals while you left me up on the ceiling." Dr. Rupert muttered.

"I still can't believe you're an alien rodent." Spud remarked. "But I've seen weirder things. Hey, want a copy of my latest CD?"

He took out something from his baggy cargo pants and tossed it to Dr. Rupert, who looked it over. It read "Spud Goes Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious: Greatest Covers".

"…uhhh…right…" Dr. Rupert moaned. "I'm not interested in the endeavors brought about by your "Brooklyn Muse", thank you.."

"Allow us to give you preview! My greatest cover yet! Ha-ha!" Spud snapped his fingers as Morpholomew pulled out another CD marked "Karaoke" on the front. He popped it into a CD player and the song began to play as Spud danced to it.

_**You're so slick honey…know every trick now!  
You know what I need…I'll get it somehow! **_

_**Come on baby…please believe me!**_

_**Come on baby pleaaaase!  
**_

_**You've gotta give it up!**_

_**(Give it up!)**_

_**You've got to give it up!**_

_**  
(Give it up!)**_

_**You've got to give it to meeee!**_

_**You've got to give it to meeee!**_

_**You've got to give it to meeee!**_

_**You've got to give it to meeee!**_

"Oh for Pete's sake…" Dr. Rupert slapped his face. "Page, could you-AH!" Dr. Rupert gasped, taking a step back, eyes going wide, tail shooting up like a rocket.

Page was dancing along with him! "This is fun!" He said as she shook what his "momma gave him" around and around.

"Page, that song they're singing…do you know what it's about?" Dr. Rupert asked.

"No. What?" Page asked, looking a bit confused.

He whispered in Page's ear. Page's eyes went so wide they looked like pond-colored saucers.

"Get 'em." He snarled to Dr. Rupert, who quickly took out his spell book from underneath his bed's pillow.

"**Votum!**"

The cross blast struck Spud and he collapsed on the ground.

"Uh…look…could you just surrender?" Dr. Rupert asked. "This kid's kind of…well…" He waved his paw in the air. "He doesn't seem all that…THERE. Attacking him feels like bullying…"

"HEY!" Morpholomew looked offended. "Spud's the greatest! He's undefeatable! Just watch!"

Morpholomew took out a harmonica and blew on it once. "HMMM". Then he raised his stubby arm into the air, singing what sounded a lot like the "Batman" theme song.

"Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Spud Maaaan! Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Spud Maaaaan! Spud Maaaan!"

With that, the boy rose back up, smiling broadly as he repeated the lyrics along with his partner.

"Uh…" Dr. Rupert and Page both said at the same time, looking at each other and blinking.

"Ha-ha! See? He's the invincible…"

"Arthur P Spudinsk-"

"**Votum.**"

"EEEEEEE!!"

This time he hit the wall and slid down it, moaning. His nose was now big and red as he lay there on the ground. Dr. Rupert moaned, rolling his eyes.

"Ha! Idiots! It'll take more than that to beat him!" Morpholomew insisted. He winked at his partner, who managed to wink back, though blood was coming out of his nose like a waterfall.

"Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Spud Maaaan! Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Spud Maaaaan! Spud Maaaan!"

He stood back up. "Ha-HA!" He remarked, putting his fists on his wrists.

"**Votum.**" Dr. Rupert mumbled.

BLAM!

"BLEEAAARRRGH!"

Spud hit the ground. AGAIN. And now his shirt was in shreds and his hat had been blown off, exposing messy hair.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! You can't beat Spud so easily!" Morpholomew laughed.

"Uh…actually…" Spud moaned as he raised his hand up, pointing upward. "Morph, buddy, uh…I kinda can't feel my legs…"

"Could you please just give up?" Dr. Rupert asked. "You're kind of…well, pitiably pitiful." He admitted.

"…don't…say stuff like THAT!"

Dr. Rupert blinked in surprise as Spud stood up, patting his partner on the head. His face showed the resolve of a true warrior now…it was dead serious.

"Morph and I…recognized each other's souls as being perfectly in tune…we've both been underestimated because of how we look…and we forged a bond! Best of all, despite the way we appear, we overcame that obstacle by using our inner talents! Like…THIS!" Spud hollered.

Spud took out a book that was the same shade of red as Morpholomew was. Dr. Rupert gasped as it glowed brightly.

"You'll regret looking down on us! **Variazione****!**" Spud called out.

BA-POOF! There, before their eyes, Morpholomew had turned into a big, red cannon.

"Ha-ha! Now give up your spell book if you don't wanna get toasted!" Spud shouted.

"…oh really?" Dr. Rupert rolled his eyes. Then he turned around and grabbed something ELSE off his bed stand…a copy of "Grey's Anatomy". He tossed it at Morph-cannon, and it bounced off.

"YEOW! That hurt!" Morpholomew moaned, "poofing" back to normal.

"I deduced quite easily that while your body may transform…" Dr. Rupert explained. "It still retains your original self. You look different, but inside you're still the same old blob."

"Ugh." Spud moaned, covering his face with his hands. "Alright, you figured it out…it's just appearance-only…but LOOK!" He held his book open. "It's the only one I've GOT!" He moaned.

"If you want, you can leave." Dr. Rupert offered. "I'm not heartless."

"Allow me to tell you my answer…in mime! I'm opening up a window…" Spud opened up an imaginary window in front of them. "I'm giving you a thumbs up!" He gave the doctor a thumbs up.

With that, he turned towards the door and began walking to it. "Come on, Morph. Let's book."

"But…I can still fight!" Morpholomew insisted.

"Dude…my BREASTS are bruised. Look…"

Spud moved some pieces of his shirt apart to reveal big red marks on his breasts. "See? It looks like I've got a face if I move my stomach like this…see, that's the mouth! Now come on, let's go."

"Th-th-then **I'LL** fight!" Morpholomew insisted, tears springing to his eyes. "We came all this way to Hawaii to fight!"

He turned to Page, pointing as the tears hit the floor. "How can you be so strong?! Everyone picked on you for being a weakling just like they picked on me…if I lose to you…I…I…" he covered his eyes. "I can't cry…I can't cry anymore! I can't let everyone think I'm just a red weakling! I HAVE TO WIN! That's why I came here, because so many weak people are arriving at this island!"

Spud looked at his partner, and blinked.

"I'll fight! I'll become as strong as Spud is!" He insisted.

"…Morpholomew…" Spud whispered. Then he smiled. "All right!" He said happily, opening up his book. "Let's do this! We'll-WOAH! Awesomeness! There's a new spell!"

Dr. Rupert's eyes went wide. "A new spell?"

"Cast it, quick!" Morpholomew said happily, bouncing up and down.

"**Variabilità!"** Spud yelled out.

**_BA-WHOOOMF!_**

A cloud of reddish smoke shot out from Morpholomew, making everyone cough and splutter.

"Can you…see him?" Dr. Rupert asked.

"No! But I can still smell him!" Page admitted.

The smoke cleared…but the little red blob was…gone!

"He's invisible?" Dr. Rupert wondered.

They looked around. No sign of him anywhere!

"Cool! He's invisible!" Spud said happily, punching the air.

"…no, wait…I hear…" Dr. Rupert looked down.

"…oh that's just **sad**."

There he was. Morpholomew wasn't even bigger than your pointer finger. He waved at them all. "Hey, lookit me! Wow, you're all so big!"

"…I didn't think there was a spell to become "weaker"." Spud moaned, whacking his face.

"Yeah, this is pretty…well...lame." Page admitted.

BITE!

"YEOOOOW!" Page howled as he bounced up and down. Morpholomew had bit his toe! "THAT HURT!" He tried to swing his paw down, but the red blob climbed up his arm and then punched him in the nose. "HEY!" Page muttered.

"Over here, rat boy!" Morpholomew said, jumping on top of the bedside counter, laughing.

"I'M A HAMSTER!" Dr. Rupert growled, diving at him. Morpholmew ducked underneath him and the doctor hit the wall, groaning in pain. "RRR…so it's good for annoying an enemy…" He admitted. "But there's an easy way to trap you." He laughed.

"Oh yeah? You'll _never_ catch me!" Morpholomew squeaked out, running across the floor. "I'll draw on your faces with a magic marker! I'll clip your balls with a clothespin!"

"Oh no! _I like my balls_!" Page muttered, covering his lower half.

Dr. Rupert pointed at the window. "Look, a two-headed man on a donkey!"

"Where?" Page, Spud and Morpholomew asked, all turning their heads. Dr. Rupert's tail shot out and he grabbed Morpholomew.

"HEY! PU-PUT ME DOWN!" He shouted.

"Here you go." He said, giving him to Spud. "And…uh…"

From across the block, a flock of birds were sent flying into the air as a loud shout of "DON'T COME BACK" rippled through the air.

…

…

…

…Dr. Rupert rubbed his chin as he sat behind his large desk, writing in his journal. He took a deep breath before he put the pen back to the paper and began writing once more.

"After that, the two left. I'm still not exactly sure what to do if they show up again, but…they seemed surprisingly decent. Mr. Spudinski, whose biography I have in my library, is apparently a genius. However his attitude is so laid-back it's quite hard to believe. One thing is for sure though…neither he nor his partner are truly "bad guys". In fact, I believe that they're actually kind of…entertainingly helpful. One day young Morpholomew's transformation spells will prove useful, of that I'm sure. And above all, I have learned an important piece of the puzzle as to why so many experiments are arriving here in Hawaii…apparently a large amount of "weaklings" landed on this island."

Dr. Rupert put the pen down. "One thing drives them…and that is the desire to defeat an opponent who you have a high chance of defeating. I'm sure of this thought: we'll see them again!"

…

…

…

…Spud held his little buddy up on his shoulder and smiled. "Don't cry, Morph! Our opponent was just stronger than us…nothing to do about it. And think about it…he was a "failure" like you…so that means he can get strong too! Both of us can."

"You…think so…really?" Morpholomew asked.

"I KNOW so, dude." He said happily.

"Spud! Spud! Spud!" Shouts of girls came from behind them. Spud grinned happily. "Alriiight! The ladies love the Spudster! Come on Morpholomew…time to give them a chase scene that they can tell their kids about! Remember "Hard Days' Night"?"

"All right!" Morpholomew said. "Let's go!"

…

…

…

…yes…they'll definitely see such eccentric souls again.

**Review, please! :) They sustain me. **

**Nick: That doctor and his experiment were weird...**

**Chops: I'd rather they were WEIRD instead of cruel, like that other pair!**

**Nick: You're right...those people were awful...I can never forget that fight!**

**Chops: A horrid brawl against a cruel pair occurs on the next Alternate Fate: Fantasy!**


	6. The Merciful VS the Merciless

**CHAPTER SIX:**

**彼らの最初の戦い：慈悲深く無慈悲な対！****  
Their First Battle: The Merciful VS the Merciless**

* * *

As Nick drifted off into sleep, Chopsuey sleeping in the bed across from him, both found themselves thinking of another opponent that had stood out in the crowd. But he had stood out because he'd made Chopsuey boil with fury and anger…

Their dreams weren't exactly pleasant. In fact, they were uncomfortable…because they replayed that day over in their heads as they slept…

…

…

…

…Nick had met Chopsuey two weeks ago. The being had frightened him at first, but Chopsuey had felt a kindred spirit in Nick and instead of harming him, had held his book up and asked "Can you take a look"?

Nick did.

And he had been able to understand the words inside. The end result, unfortunately, was that his room got wrecked…

Good thing he had lots of free time…

"Good thing we've got lots of free time." Nick told Chopsuey as they headed into town. "The Simpsons Movie is out and I have GOTTA see it!"

"The Simpsons Movie?" Chopsuey asked, looking confused.

"I've always loved the Simpsons and I've heard rave reviews about this movie. It's supposed to be really funny! Ever since I saw the previews I've been meaning to see it whenever I got the chance…" Nick told him.

They headed down the sidewalk and into town, looking at all the shops. There was one movie theater and it was a drive-in…not that it mattered to Nick. He'd just walk in and watch the movie from the snack bar.

Yes…snack bar. Now THIS place got Chopsuey interested.

"I'll take one large soda." Nick told the man at the counter as Chopsuey fawned over the LARGE popcorn machine.

"Would you like a large bag of popcorn with that? You'll get free refills, and if you buy the large bag of popcorn with a large soda as a combo it'll only cost five sixty five!" The counter attendant told him.

"Well, I guess I'll-WOAH!"

Chopsuey had crawled into the popcorn machine and was scrarfing down every single clump of popcorn he could get his claws on, going "yum-yum-yum" as he gobbled them down.

"Uh…on second thought, I'll just take the soda and some cookie dough bites…oh, and breath mints for my dog…" Nick apologized.

Then something happened that made the whole "breath mint" thing moot.

"**GOURYOKU**!"

Chopsuey's eyes went wide. A purple beast suddenly soared through the air, slamming four pulsing fists into the popcorn machine and sending it flying. Nick screamed as he watched Chopsuey tumbled out of the broken, battered machine and stagger to his feet.

"CHOPS!" He yelled, running to his partner. He turned around and came face to face with the attacker…it was a man with greasy black hair who had a mammalian creature that had four arms. The purple beast with four arms was PUMPED with muscle, and had small, glinting black eyes. However he smelled very bad, and only had a thick black belt that was rather tattered around his waist.

"The kick-boxing master…experiment 601, Kixx." Chopsuey growled. "Another…big-shot…"

"Welly, welly, well…you got a little kid?" Kixx spoke. His voice was gruff. He crossed his arms. "Not very…impressive."

"Heh-heh…you look like you're new to this whole thing!" The greasy-haired man laughed. Even though his hair looked bad, his suit was three-piece, his tie looked like it was made from Japanese silk, and he had rings on every single finger. "The name's Waylon…and I'm robbing this theater!"

"I…just wanted…to see the movie." Nick growled. "It starts in twenty minutes…I came early to get a good seat and snacks and EVERYTHING! AND NOW YOU'RE RUINING MY DAY!"

People who had been in the drive-in theater ran for their lives. Soon the whole place was empty of any other objects, save for the demolished popcorn machine, an Icee machine behind the snack stand, the snack stand itself, the theater's screen and some cars that people had left behind.

"Ooh, using hate? Good." Waylon said, smirking. "The books we have react to hatred, greed, anger! The stronger your emotions, the stronger the attacks! Of course, I figured it out early…"

Waylon went on, still looking down at them. "Where'd you find your little tool?"

Nick blinked. "T-Tool? TOOL?"

"Yes. I found mine when I was doing work at the Mickey D's in Kauai…I HATED working for minimum wage. Then I find this beast in the back, chomping on the food! I bring him home since I didn't want to get found out and, since nobody else was willing to listen, I told him how much I hated working there…"

Waylon frowned. "The next day I got fired. I told the beast all about it. Then he hands me this book and asks me to read from it. I do…and guess what I found out?" Waylon grinned evilly. "I now had a tool for revenge. I put my old boss that fired me in the hospital and wrecked that stupid McDonalds! I robbed banks and bought myself nice clothes and a new boat! And then I decided I'd come over here…there's less police in Niihau so I can rob more places and not be caught! I'll be like a mafia boss, like something from those Godfather movies!"

"Hold on." Nick muttered angrily. "Okay, so you're a b-tard. I get that. But you're all dressed up fancy…and the person who helped you accomplish that…it's only got that belt? And he smells like you haven't bathed him at all! Do you even FEED him!"

Waylon looked at Nick like he was a retard. "He's just a tool…no, really, he's more like a DOG. He can feed himself. I don't need to take CARE of him like I have to take care of a child I have or anything like that! What are you, an idiot?"

"THAT'S ENOUGH, YOU MONSTER!" Nick screamed, raising his hand and holding the book up. "**IAEDO!**" He screamed.

Chopsuey swung a glowing fist through the air and a bolt of fist-shaped green energy soared at Waylon and Kixx. Waylon smirked and opened up his purple book. "**Gouryoku!**" He shouted. Kixx spun through the air and struck the bolt…but it did SOME damage, sending him back. He groaned and rubbed his sore arms.

"Stop treating him like he's some dumb dog! They're people!" Nick yelled.

"People? People don't have these powers. It's a monster. Face facts you little faggot." Waylon laughed.

Nick's eyes suddenly went wide. He instinctively held back tears.

Chopsuey hissed in anger. "You…bastard…you…bastard…I won't forgive you for that!" He howled as he rushed forward. Before Waylon or Kixx could do anything Chopsuey had punched Waylon through the air. The human went sailing far back…back…

Kixx barely caught him, but damage had been done. Waylon panted heavily as he stood back up, looking on as Chops patted Nick on the shoulder as he kid rubbed his eyes with his arm.

"You're going to be alright." He said to Nick as he helped his partner stand up. "Don't listen to him."

Nick stood back up, nodding. Then he pointed at Kixx. "HEY! KIXX! Why are you listening to that jerk who thinks you're only a tool! Doesn't that bother you at all?"

Kixx was quiet as he folded his arms.

"Why don't you fight back and demand some respect?" Nick asked. "You don't have to be treated like some mongrel!"

Something happened that stopped Nick in mid-soapbox-standing. Kixx allowed a small smile to appear on his face.

"Hahahaha…you're misunderstanding things." He told Nick. "Don'tcha get it? The angrier grease-boy gets, the more power I get, and he goes deeper into evil. It's…good for me." Kixx laughed, jabbing a thumb at himself.

"Sheesh, even their personalities are alike…" Chopsuey muttered.

"…I feel sorry for you." Nick said quietly. "You just don't understand, Kixx…"

"The difference between the two of us and the two of you is plain. But you won't get that if we just TALK to you, so…" Kixx cracked his knuckles.

"Let's do this then…" Waylon laughed. He raised his book. "**Niouriki!"** He announced.

Kixx raised all four of his arms and spun around and around…but suddenly his body glowed and it sent a tornado-shaped energy wave that raced at Chops and Nick!

"There's one more spell we have…take THIS! **Adversor!**"

A glowing green shield that was shaped like a neon tablet arose from the ground. The twister promptly bounced off of it…

And sailed RIGHT back at Waylon and Kixx! They were caught up in their own spell and sent flying. Waylon was knocked into a set of trees just beyond the drive in while Kixx hit a trash can and went down hard. The book was knocked out of Waylon's hands and dropped down onto the snack counter. The attendant had long since run away, naturally.

"Now…" Chopsuey giggled in a high-pitched, "trog-like" tone. He flexed his claws and began to advance on Kixx, licking his lips. "I'm pretty hungry…and I always like to try new and exotic foods…" He grabbed his fellow experiment's shoulders and opened his fanged jaws…

"No." Nick said.

Chopsuey turned around, eyes going wide as his Mohawk bobbed slightly. "Wh-WHAT?!"

"Don't." Nick said. He walked up to Kixx and knelt down, lifting him up as Chopsuey stepped back. "I'm giving you a chance now. Come live with us! We'll take much better care of you than Waylon ever did! You don't have to be treated like a tool by that jerk anymore. You can be treated like a friend." He said, smiling.

Kixx looked at the kid. Then at Chopsuey. Then he smiled and embraced the kid.

"You're nice." He admitted as the kid closed his eyes and returned the hug. Chopsuey moaned…

Then he gasped as he saw Kixx raise a fist and smirk at him, unbeknownst to the kid. "TOO nice."

BAM!

He struck Nick right in the back and the kid was knocked down. Kixx laughed and jumped into the air, raising his fist again. "You actually think I'd be friends with a brat like you? HA! Time to die you naïve little-"

He lunged down…

Chopsuey caught his fist and slammed him into the ground, then calmly walked over and picked the book from off the counter. He tossed the book into Kixx's face and held his partner up as their book glowed.

"My partner offered you mercy." He whispered. "He tried to show you kindness…and you threw it back in his face!" He spread his arms wide, clenching his clawed fists. **"YOU DESERVE NO PITY! READ A SPELL, NICK!"**

Nick, eyes filled with fury, looked at the book, seeing a new spell. Fine…so the stronger their emotion, the stronger the spell? He screamed to the heavens the words in the text…**"****KIMAIRA****!********"**

He instantly regretted it. Chops's body glowed with a dark green aura as he wailed and the aura rose up higher…higher…forming into a dark green beast with wings like that of a fallen angel, heavy and forboding. It's clawed hands curled and it's talons twitched as it's tail swished back and forth and it looked pitilessly down on Kixx. It had the face of a lion, a furry boddy like a goat and a tail that ended in a cobra's head. It cast a glare at the human Waylon, who had fallen from the tree and was trying to stagger at them, drawing a gun…

Dumb. The snakelike tail shot out. Before Waylon could even scream, he was swallowed in a single gulp.

Nick and Chops's eyes widened. This wasn't a monster called forth from fury or righteous anger, this was…

"No, no stay back!" Kixx screamed as the beast lunched at him, claws outstretched. It slammed into him and his book, opening it's jaws and encasing Kixx and his book in burning energy. The book was obliterated, and Kixx dissolved into nothingness with a wail right before their eyes.

This power…was hate…

"Did…it…did it KILL the experiment?" Nick whimpered.

"No, that twinkling light…" Chops pointed at the spot where Kixx had been. "The book was destroyed, so he was sent packing before he could be…well…"

"Evil…evil…" The beast hissed. Then it turned to look at them with glaring eyes that seemed to peer into their soul. "Feeling was evil…" It growled at them with a disapproving tone. And with that, it vanished slowly into tiny little dots of dark green that faded into the sky.

Nick looked down at his partner, and his partner looked back at him.

"…Chops…let's…let's never use that power in hatred again." Nick whispered softly. "How could we have had so much hatred in us?…"

Chopsuey nodded and held Nick's hand. "Nick, I told you I wanted to prove to my brother I was better. I should have told you how much I really disliked him. He always…" Chops looked away. "Father shoved me aside when HE came around. I just…I just can't stand it…my own father thinks I'm worthless because of my stupid brother Stitch…"

Nick shook his head. "We can prove you're not worthless…but let's do it without hate…alright? Stitch is still your _ohana_, your family…try and feel some love for him…we have to stay good. We HAVE to…or we'll end up like…like THEM…"

Chops looked at the theater's screen. "…alright. You know…I think the movie's going to start in a few minutes…and since there's nobody else here…"

"Cool, free movie and snacks!" Nick said happily.

The rest of the day was a pleasant one…they truly enjoyed the movie. And they made a pact to not fight like that again…to never fight with hatred for a person in their heart.

Only time would tell if they would break that pact.

**Nick: So they're finally going to tell us the truth?**

**Chops: Don't get cocky Nick...there's a string attached!**

**Dr. Rupert: Do you think you can defeat us in a fight?**

**Page: I've heard a lot about you, Chopsuey...please give it your best!**

**Dr. Rupert: A fight for the truth begins on the next Alternate Fate: Fantasy! **


	7. A Fight for the Truth! GO!

**CHAPTER SEVEN:**

**の真理のためにファイト！行く！**

**A Fight for the Truth! GO!**

The morning after Dr. Rupert's visit was a very interesting one. Nick was reading the comics section of the newspaper when the doorbell rang. Chopsuey sniffed the air, then opened the door.

"Oh no. You're back." He moaned as he stepped to the side and let Dr. Rupert and Page in. "I'd know that rosemary scent from anywhere!...granted, it's nice…" He admitted.

"Oh, it's not much, really!" Page said humbly.

"So what do you want NOW?" Nick asked as Dr. Rupert adjusted his jacket slightly. "Another riddle or something?"

"Nope. We have come to challenge you in a fight." Dr. Rupert told him and Chopsuey as Page stood by his side.

"Er…" Nick looked behind him, noticing some people were...missing. "Say, what happened to the freaky-deeky superheroes from yesterday?"

"Oh! The Majestic Twelve are on a mission to MARS!" Page said proudly. "Right doctor?"

"Nope. It's a lie." Dr. Rupert said cheekily.

"GAAAWWWW!" Page moaned, mouth wide open in shock.

"The truth is simply that they returned to the mainland." Dr. Rupert explained. "This fight is going to be between two mutual experiments."

Chopsuey pointed at the dragon who was sucking on a lollipop near them. "Who's…that?"

"That's 421. We can't understand much of what he says though." Dr. Rupert said.

"I get the feeling I've seen him before." Chopsuey admitted as 421 looked him over.

"Pon-pon-pon!" The little dragon said as it patted Chopsuey on the head. The experiment smiled slightly. This guy was cute.

"He's staying with me until I find his book owner." Dr. Rupert told him. "But unfortunately I've had no luck…still, my travels take me all over the world. Eventually I shall find the one who can read his book!"

"These guys don't know yet about that thing, right?" Page asked. "Should we tell them?"

"If they win, yes…we'll tell them all about the "book" and the "experiments"." Dr. Rupert told Rupert.

Nick felt a chill rise in him.

"You…know the secret of the books?" Nick asked. "You know a way I could power Chops up?"

"Of course! Dr. Rupert knows EVERYTHING!" Page said happily. "He's so wise!"

"So you want to know the truth too, Mr. Grey?" Dr. Rupert asked, raising an eyebrow as he cast an amused expression at her. "Simply defeat me…" His eyes turned steely and serious, a powerful glint entering them. "I'll tell you what you desire to know…"

"I'm looking forward to a good match!" Page said. "Let's meet at the stream, okay? There's no people there…"

…

…

…

…Chopsuey's eyes widened. Nick gasped.

"You're…you're really an alien?" He gasped. "And you know Jumba?" He held the book open. "What the heck do you think you're doing, trying to fool us like that!"

"Let's get 'em!" Chopsuey said, clenching his fists.

"**Iaedo-Iedo**!" Nick shouted.

Chopsuey raised both his fists and swung them, and a glowing green bolt of fist-shaped energy soared through the air.

"Ha-ha! I already told you I know everything…including the fact that you can't win with your power! **Votum!**" The rabbit-like being hollered out.

Page crossed his arms out and his body glowed. He sent a cross-shaped blast of energy sailing right at the other blast, and with a mighty BA-BOOM Nick and Chops were sent flying back. They hit the ground and staggered to their feet.

"Cut…the…crud!" Nick spat out as he took in some deep breaths.

"If you just stand there, you're going to **lose**, youngling!" Dr. Rupert laughed, raising his book and spreading his arms as he announced the next spell. "**Vespera!**"

Page raised both his hands and clenched them as they glowed. Then two swirling rays of light twisted and turned, aiming at Nick and Chopsuey.

"Take this! Shield Spell…**ADVERSOR!**"

Chopsuey slammed his fists together, claws clenching. A pulsing shield rose up in front of them, shaped like a stone tablet with pulsing green neon light shining from it.

"Hmph! Don't show such a weak shield!" Dr. Rupert shouted. "It's insulting!" He held his book up and it glowed more brightly than before. The shield was knocked down into chunks that dissolved in the air, and the force of the blow sent Nick and Chopsuey flying back.

"D-Darn it!" Nick groaned as he got back to his feet, helping his partner up. "The difference between our spells is too great…it must be because he knows the book's secrets…I know! Chops! **Iadeo-Iedo!**"

"Right!" Chops jumped into the air and swung his fists. The bolt of fist-shaped energy swung at Dr. Rupert and Page, who leapt into the air…

And they were shocked to see Nick appear right in front of them, jumping at them. "TOH!" Nick shouted as he jumped through the air

"Desperate, aren't you? Throwing yourself into the fray!" The hamster laughed.

"HAH!" Chopsuey laughed, suddenly appearing from behind Page and grabbing his side.

"You'd better tell me the book's secret!" Nick shouted as he held his book open and it glowed brightly.

"So you think you can beat me?" Dr. Rupert laughed as he jumped back.

Nick shouted out a spell. "**Iadeo-Iedo!**"

But then Chopsuey's eyes widened as his strike missed…because Page FLEW right out of his claws, missing the blow!

"The wings, they're…not fake?!" He gasped as he fell to the ground and Nick picked him back up.

Dr. Rupert and Page stood side by side, smiling as the other two took up another battle pose. "Wow, you're _desperate_!" Page admitted.

"So I shall give you a hint in the form of a riddle." Dr. Rupert said cheerfully.

"A riddle?" Nick asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Alright, I love these things!" Page said, clapping his hands happily.

"Here it is." Dr. Rupert said, smiling as he raised a paw digit in the air. "Red on the top, green underneath…what's the name of my pet?"

"That has NOTHING to do with this battle!" Nick groaned rolling his eyes.

"ERRR! Incorrect! It was Ula'Ula Oma'Oma'O! Red and Green!" Dr. Rupert laughed.

"Oh…you know Hawaiian?" Nick asked.

"A'ole." Dr. Rupert said, nodding.

"Well two can play at that game! Chopsuey always has a lima ulu!" Nick laughed. (Green thumb)

"Hardy-har-har." Chops groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Let's move on to riddle number two! What does the book do?" Dr. Rupert asked.

Nick raised his own book, grinning as it glowed. "EASY! It takes the power of a human heart…strong emotions…and turns it into energy that powers experimental moves! Like…THIS! **Iadeo-Iedo!**"

Chopsuey swung his fists again and the blast sailed at Dr. Rupert.

"Exactly!" Dr. Rupert laughed as he raised his own book. "**Votius!**"

Page's powered-up cross-blast whizzed at the "Iadeo-Iedo" and the two attacks canceled each other out.

"Now for the next riddle…" Dr. Rupert's gaze became solemn. "Where…do the spells born from?"

"The book." Nick said simply.

"You think so? If you do, that's INCORRECT!" Dr. Rupert said.

Page shook his head back and forth. "Try again!" He told them.

"Wait…what if…the reason I couldn't read the book until recently…" Nick scratched his head. "What if it wasn't because I couldn't read the characters? What if it was because…there wasn't really anything WRITTEN in the book!"

"Yes, yes, now you're right at the door! Open it up…realize the truth!" Dr. Rupert proclaimed, pointing at the sky.

Nick slammed his fist into his palm. "That's **it**! The spells don't come from the book…the power was always sleeping within the experiment! The moment that power is truly awakened, it appears as a spell from the book!"

"CORRECT." Dr. Rupert said, clapping his paws. "So you know what you must do now…"

"Yes…I do." Nick said, turning to Chopsuey, who blinked.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"You don't have to believe in the book." Nick said. "You and I have to believe in _ourselves_!" He said. "The power's always been inside us…we just need to believe that we can use it." Nick insisted, placing his hands on his partner's shoulder.

"…does this mean…I've always had the power to beat Stitch?" Chopsuey asked.

"People have the potential to do anything they want!" Nick said happily. "There's infinite potential…so let's do this!"

Chops blinked his black eyes a few times, then looked down at his clawed paws.

"_I have a great power in me…I've had it all this time…if I had realized this before, I could have shown father my strength sooner-no, it doesn't matter now. I can show everyone my power now in this fight…I can prove that I'm not worthless!"_

Nick smiled as a shining aura of green light arose around them, encasing them in it's glow. He hugged Chopsuey tight, and his partner hugged him back.

"Ooh, look at that!" Page said. "It's like a stairway to heaven!" He gasped.

"Even if he's our enemy, it warms my heart to see such beautiful light." Dr. Rupert admitted, smiling happily.

The light swirled up into the skies, vanishing…and Chopsuey and Nick stood there, with Nick raising the book as it pulsed with a beautiful glow.

Nick opened his mouth and spoke. "**The Sixth Spell! IMPERIUM!**"

A glowing light of many colors swirled down from the sky, splitting the clouds above them. It struck Chopsuey and then spread out in a blast…when the dust settled, he was covered in that glowing, multicolored light and he now had extra arms sticking out, along with spikes that jutted out from his back. Above all, he was larger and more muscular, and his snout was sticking out slightly…fangs jutting bigger, drool coming from his mouth and a nasty glint in his eyes. He even smelled bad…

"Eep." 421 whispered as he covered his head and hid behind a tree.

"Woah, he's glowing…and BIGGER!" Page remarked. "What's going on, doctor?"

"Oh, when you glow like that, orange juice comes out of your nose." Dr. Rupert remarked.

"Really?" Page asked.

"Lie." Dr. Rupert laughed.

"GAAAWWWW!" Page moaned, falling back onto his butt.

"Ch-Chops?" Nick asked. He was slightly frightened by Chopsuey's new appearance.

Chops turned around. He blinked slowly. "Ni-Nick? That you?"

"What's happened to you? How do you feel?" Nick asked.

"I no…feel different…" He muttered. "Except…hard…to think…head…muddy…"

"Let's take advantage of this!" Nick said. "You're bigger and stronger, so let's test your power out!"

Chopsuey nodded and rushed forward at Dr. Rupert and Page. Page jumped forward, stretching his arms out as Dr. Rupert launched another cross spell…

But the blast fizzled against Chopsuey's body as he struck out. Page and Dr. Rupert were knocked back by his claws and they tumbled along the ground as Chopsuey roared into the sky.

"Chops? You're…WAY stronger!" Nick realized.

"Yeah…" Chopsuey said, his voice slowly returning to normal. His snout began to change shape and revert to it's normal form and the smell and drool vanished. "I…remembered what I wished for in my heart! To become so strong that you wouldn't ever need to get hurt when you took an attack for my sake! You kept getting the brunt end of things for a long time because you were so kind-hearted and I only had that one spell, "Iadeo"…"

"Hey, I think ALL your spells are nice…" Nick protested.

"I will win this fight without you getting hurt anymore, Nick!" Chopsuey shouted as he rushed forward.

"Take THIS! **VESPERA!**" Dr. Rupert shouted. Page raised his paw/hands and the swirling light from before shot out at Chopsuey, aiming for his head…

But to their amazement, Chopsuey ducked, dove right at them, then slammed his fists right into the ground. A small chasm opened up, and they barely jumped away in time!

"Ah-ha! Your strength, speed, defense, everything is increased!" Dr. Rupert laughed. "But…if my guess is right…and it usually is…"

Chopsuey growled…but then he gasped as the light vanished from his body and with a "WHA-WHOMP" his body shrunk back to normal.

"It only lasts for so long." Dr. Rupert said. "About a minute, I estimate. Now then…time for my next move! If I focus on your book keeper while you're charged, you'll waste all your energy trying to protect him. **Militis!**"

Page knelt down and got on all fours, then gently blew…from that breath of life a shimmering set of forms appeared! Little toy soldiers charged forward, covered in armor and holding shields and swords high!

"Holy cow!" Nick yelled as they swarmed over him, jabbing him. "Hurting me! **_With pointy things!_**" He screamed, grabbing them and tossing them off. "Quick, **IMPERIUM!**"

Chopsuey jumped into the air, stretching out his arms as the other two arms popped out from his body and spikes grew from his back. His rainbow glow returned and he quickly began whacking the little soldiers through the air like flies…while advancing on the doctor and Page.

"AAA! He's getting closer!" Page yelled. "Do something, doctor!"

"GOTCHA!" Chops yelled as he jumped onto Page. And before Page could do anything…

KA-DWOOOOOSH!

Page was flung high into the air, vanishing with a "ping" into the sky. They all stood there, silently staring as Chopsuey turned back to normal.

After a few moments, Dr. Rupert sighed, then shrugged. "Ha-ha-ha-ha! I guess I should have expected this from two wild cards like you! Today's my loss!" He began to walk away. "I hope we meet again!"

"Not…so…fast." Nick said, suddenly picking him up by the scruff of the neck. "Talk, you wascally wabbit. You said you'd tell us all about the book and the experiments!"

"You sure you wouldn't rather have Big Boing's breast size?" Dr. Rupert offered.

Nick promptly swung the rabbit around by his tail.

"STOP, STOP, IT-WAS-A-JOKE!" He begged. "I'LL-TELL-YOU-EVERYTHING!"

…

…

…

…Dr. Rupert, 421, Chopsuey and Nick know sat underneath tree. As 421 lay curled up, snoozing lightly, he whistled in his sleep. The rodent doctor took a deep breath, then spoke up. "As you have realized, when a sleeping power inside of an experiment's awakened, a spell appears in the book. But it's not that simple. A spell can only be awakened for a REASON."

"Oh yes, that's happened to us before…" Nick admitted. "When we were in the middle of a fight against this creepy experiment! What was it's name? Kixx?"

"Yep, that was him." Chopsuey said. "Well we showed HIM!...and his book keeper too." He added with less gusto and bit more guilt.

"Yes, when your heart grows, when you realize something important, power is awakened. But…the number of won battles doesn't increase the number of spells! Furthermore, the book has other roles…it'll tell you when a certain number of experiments are left. But there remain some mysteries that I have yet to uncover…" Dr. Rupert told them, nodding his head.

The doctor's face became serious. "There is untapped power in an experiment…and a book's reaction to a human heart…I still don't know the full answers to either of those riddles. In any case, I must continue to investigate and learn all I can…and so should you. Now…"

He stood back up and dusted himself off. "Page needs me. I'd best be going."

"Wait…you were giving us a teaching battle, weren't you?" Nick asked. "Going kinda easy on us!"

"You're smart." Dr. Rupert complimented. "Listen, I want you to be well-informed…and I want you to remember me. Jumba and I were close friends, school chums, partners…that was many years ago, but I remember them well…they were some of the best years of my life…" He said happily, eyes filling with nostalgia, the tiniest hint of tears filling them. "But remember **this** as well…"

He turned his head to the skies, folding his arms. "Dark forces are gaining power even as we speak…so I must prepare. I am always looking for companions in the struggle against these powers." He smiled at them as he walked off. "I do hope we meet again, Nick…Chopsuey…"

As he walked off, Chopsuey turned to Nick.

"He's an unusual person, isn't he?" He asked, scratching his stomach as he did so.

"…I kinda like him." Nick said. "Weird is good! And you know…those guys are nice. I think that…"

"What?"

"…well…" Nick rubbed the back of his head. "Eventually you'll have to return to Jumba…but if you returned as a champion who had a just and fair heart…one who truly understood "_ohana_"…then maybe you could convince Jumba to stop forcing his children to fight…"

Chopsuey blinked slowly. But before he could say something in response to that…

"Wait. I hear something." Chopsuey said, putting his hand to his big ear. "It's Page!"

"What's being said?" Nick asked.

"Ah hem. "Sorry I lost, doctor! I should have flown back sooner!" "Don't worry Page! Don't you know that when a bunny flaps his ears as strong and fast as possible, he can fly too?" "Really?" "Nope. It's a lie"."

Then a loud "GAAAAAWWWWW" ripped through the air. This woke 421 up. He bounded off in the direction of the shout, then curled up into a spiky ball, rolling on the ground after the doctor.

"Okay, they're ALL weird." Nick remarked. "You know…their spirit reminds me of Carmen and Jenny…"

**PREVIEW!**

**Nick: Who is this unusual person? **

**Chopsuey: I don't know...but I do know one thing...**

**Nick: What's that?**

**Chopsuey: She's got the fire in her soul! Look at her dance!**

**Nick: She's dancing with a purpose...to defend the one she cares so much for!**

**Chopsuey: Jenny and Carmen take the stage on the next Alternate Fate: Fantasy!**


	8. The Mysterious Dancing Queen!

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**この神秘的なダンスの女王！誰がトゥッティフルッティ女性とは？**

**The Mysterious Dancing Queen! Who is the Tutti-Frutti Lady?**

Nick and Chopsuey were looking over a cliff, trying to practice their spells again.

"Alright, let's finish this up." Nick told Chopsuey. "And then go out for Chinese!"

"You really like Chinese food, don't you?" Chopsuey asked.

"Yeah, I just can't help myself! Dumplings are AMAZING." Nick said, almost drooling at the thought. "Now then…**THE FOURTH SPELL: ****KIMA**-"

"Wait!" Chopsuey said, raising his hand. Then he put it to his ear. "Do you…hear something?"

Nick blinked, then put his own hand to his ear. They listened intently…

"…hey, what's that sound?"

"…mambo-mamboleo, mambo-mambole! Mambo-mamboleo, mambo-mambole!"

…

…

…

…she was a pink-furred experiment who looked quite a bit like the one known as Angel…but there were unmistakable differences. A slightly larger set of breasts, small antennae, bright blue eyes, maracas in her hand, and, above all, she was wearing fruit on her head…that's right, a tutti-frutti type hat. She was shaking but along with her maracas as she danced on the beach, twirling around as she sang and shook.

"You spin me inside outside, and then you hold me so tight! We'll dance and party all night, mambo-mambole! So kiss me in the moonlight, you know it always feels right, we'll dance and party all night, mambo-mambole!" She sang. Her voice was passionate and had a definite Latina accent to it.

She moved her body to the rhtyhmm and sang out the chorus again. "Mambo-mamboleo, mambo-mambole! Mambo-mamboleo, mambo-mambole! Mambo-mamboleo, mambo-mambole! Mambo-mamboleo, mambo-mambole!"

Then she noticed somebody else was dancing alongside her, imitating her moves. "You spin me inside outside, and then you hold me so tight! We'll dance and party all night, mambo-mambole! So kiss me in the moonlight, you know it always feels right, we'll dance and party all night…"

_**"Mambo-mambole!"**_

The green form looked at the pink form. Both of them smiled.

"GOTCHAAAA!"

"AAA!"

Chopsuey was jumped upon by a girl who had been hiding in a nearby tree. She began whacking the crud out of him with a frying pan. "I'm gonna **_rock_** ya and **_sock_** ya and…wait…oops!" She stood up. "You're not the demon who attacked us!"

"Uh…why are you beating up my friend?" Nick asked as he approached the girl. She had reddish hair that was tied into two ponytails on either side of her head and was wearing a dark green dress. She also had on pretty white shoes and had a pink book.

"I'm sorry, is this your dog?" The girl asked. "I thought that it was-AAA!" She gasped. "You're-you're a book keeper too! That's no dog! CARMEN, quick, defense maneuver ocho!"

"Oh I'm not here to fight!" Nick insisted. "Me and Chopsuey were just practicing our moves and we heard you singing!"

"It was…er…very…um…very nice!" Chopsuey managed to get out, his cheeks blushing a deep shade of red.

"Oh! Gracias, babe." The pink experiment said, smiling. She put her maracas down and put one hand on her chest while she put the other on her hip. "Me nombre es Carmen, experimenta uno does tres!"

"Huh?"

"My…name is…Carmen, experiment 123!" Carmen explained.

"I'm 621, Chopsuey." He said nervously.

"Nice to…nice to meet choo." Carmen managed to get out in shaky Basic, shaking his hand.

"I'm Jenny." The human girl said. "And you know what?" She put down the backpack she was wearing and took out a small picnic bag. "I'm hungry. Wanna join me for lunch?"

Nick looked down at his watch. "Woah, it's 12 already?...okay, sure! Thanks, Tutti-Frutti lady!"

Jenny handed Carmen her lunch and pointed down the beach, away from where they were. "Go eat over there, you rotten dog!"

Carmen's ears sunk low as she walked off. Nick frowned. "Why can't she eat with us?" He asked.

"…I…I hate Carmen." Jenny muttered. "Her "papi" barely taught her any English…I hate having to translate her stupid "Spanishcita" and crud! And…that's just one thing." Jenny finished.

"Looks like Chops wants to talk to her." Nick said, pointing at Chopsuey who had sat down with Carmen.

"So Carmen…is Jenny nice to you?"

"…eh, hermana ees…alright…I…guess…" Carmen looked away, unsure of how to answer.

"You look very…er…well, nice." He said. "And your accent is…nice…and I think that you smell…um…"

"…nice?" Carmen asked, a small smile appearing on her face.

Chopsuey blushed again, making Carmen laughed gently. "Eres una persona divertida!" She said to him. "Por qué el nombre "Chopsuey"?"

"Uh, did you ask something about my name?"

"Si, si." Carmen nodded.

"I'm guessing you want to know why I have that name…a lot of people ask me that." Chopsuey sighed. "It's my genetic code…it's unstable. Unlike "Seeex Two Seeex"…" He muttered, imitating his creator's voice. "I want to prove I'm better than him…"

"Why are you out here?" Nick asked the girl.

"We're looking for an experiment…to get REVENGE!" Jenny growled as she tore a bite out of her sandwich. "It…it's all that stupid Carmen's fault!"

"Huh?" Nick tilted his head to the side, scratching it.

"It all started when she showed up in the backyard. I was on the tire swing…" Jenny began.

…

…

…

… "Weeee!" Jenny laughed as he jumped off the tire swing, landing expertly on the ground and spinning around in her backyard, away from the tree and the stone wall behind it. "I feel pretty! Oh so pretty! I feel pretty and witty and gay! And I pity…any girl who isn't me today!"

"Hola!"

Jenny blinked and turned her head. There, sitting on top of the stone wall, was a pink creature who was holding onto a book the same shade of pink as she was. "Did you…speak Spanish?" Jenny asked.

"Si! Me nombre es Carmen!" Carmen said.

"Uh…I'm Jenny. What are you, tutti-frutti thing?"

"Experimenta!" Carmen said.

"An experiment with a tutti-frutti hat…uh…let's just get you inside." Jenny said. "Mom's smart, maybe she'll know where you came from…"

…

…

…

…luckily her Mom had taken some Spanish classes and began to teach Jenny how to understand Carmen's words. Soon the two began to get along. Her mom and her father took the whole "alien experiment" thing in stride. Carmen, for some reason, never told them why she was there…she didn't want to. She had grown to like sitting and eating with the family, saying prayers in Spanish and English, playing out in the backyard and singing and dancing with Jenny.

It had been a really happy time for Jenny too. She had a playmate, a friend…

Then it happened. Carmen had been singing "Mamboleo" in the backyard while Jenny looked through the book Carmen had brought. She'd never really looked INSIDE before, but now…

"Ooh, words!" She thought out loud, a big sense of curiosity filling her as the book glowed. "It says "Cantancion"!"

TWA-WOOOM!

Jenny gasped as a loud sound filled her eardrums. She turned around and saw Carmen was holding her hands over her mouth. She'd dropped her maracas…

And the tree she'd been facing had been blown to smithereens by a powerful force.

"That's…that's MAGIC! You're magical!" Jenny realized.

"Madre de dios…" Carmen whispered, eyes filled with fear. "No-no-no…"

…

…

…

…"Carmen's singing and dancing attracts experiments…she can dance for days and not get tired, which is really weird." Jenny admitted.

"How long has she been dancing?" Chopsuey asked as he walked back over to Jenny. Carmen had resumed her dance.

"She's been doing it all month, almost nonstop. Only when she has to eat does she take a break." Jenny admitted. "And it serves her right!" She shouted. "Because she was here…demons, they…they came to my house and hurt my family…so she dances to bring them back, to make them come back. She doesn't stop in the rain, doesn't stop if it's windy, doesn't stop if it's hot or cold…she'll keep dancing until those people that hurt my family come back…"

Jenny curled up on the picnic blanket she lay on. "I tell her to stop…but she won't listen, she's…she's such an IDIOT, that's…that's… that's why hate her!" Jenny sobbed into her hands.

"…Jenny…" Nick whispered.

…

…

…

…watching them from far away was a woman dressed up in a pink t-shirt with blue shorts and large earrings. She grinned evilly as she held her dark blue book and stood by the porcupine-like creature that was her partner. The porcupine had sharp quills on his tail, back, head and arms, a big red nose and sharp claws. It lazily raised it's tail and tilted it's head as it looked at the dancing Carmen.

"Oh good…we've found the little spic." The woman said. She had an unmistakably English accent. "Time for Miss Pence to teach her a lesson in pain!"

"How did it happen? How'd they find you?" Nick asked Jenny. "And what did these "demons" look like?"

"One was a porcupine-like creature. The other was a horrible English woman!" Jenny said. "I can't forget that day…"

…

…

…

…Jenny returned home to find my house was wrecked. There were spikes in the walls, furniture, everything was overturned! And her mom and dad…they were bleeding all over!

"Jen…run…call…the police!" Her mother begged.

The porcupine beast that had struck her growled and slashed at her with it's claws, shutting her up.

"MOM!" Jenny screamed.

"Oh be quiet." The woman with the done-up blond hair remarked. She was sitting comfortably in the one piece of furniture that was untouched: a big red chair. "Don't bother going for help. Nobody would believe your story anyhow. I'm looking for people with the book…"

"You WITCH!" Jenny screamed, trying to shake her dad awake. But he just groaned. "How can you be so cruel?! They didn't do anything to you!"

"If you want to hate somebody, hate this beast." The woman said condescendingly as she pointed to the right. Carmen was strung up against the wall, pinned to it by spikes that had hit the edges of her skin. She was crying silently, not speaking. "The little Spanish brat wouldn't tell us where her book was."

"She can't speak much English, you big monster!" Jenny yelled, shaking her fist. "Why would you want her book anyhow?"

"…she didn't TELL you?" The woman remarked. "Figures. What else could you expect from a member of the mongrel races?"

…

…

…

…"She told me about the fight…I didn't have the book with me so they left me to go pick some other minority…" She said angrily.

Suddenly they realized something. The singing had stopped. They turned their heads and saw…

"Carmen's gone! Oh no…that means she found an experiment…what if…" Jenny leapt to her feet, grabbing her book. "We've got to find her!"

As it were, Carmen HAD found the experiment that had trashed Jenny's family. She held her maracas and shook them angrily as she gnashed her teeth, glaring with hatred at the woman and the porcupine experiment.

"She's a spunky little witch, isn't she Spike?" The woman asked.

Spike nodded, smirking at her. "Yes Miss Pence."

"You think you can beat me without your book owner?" Ms. Pence inquired.

"SI." Carmen said proudly.

"I suppose I'll have to teach you manners." The woman muttered, opening up her book. "**CECILIUS!**"

Blows struck over and over…but Carmen couldn't truly feel them. She kept thinking back to Jenny…

"_Here, I know you don't like carrots. You can have my potatoes!"__"Can I hear you sing that song again?"_

"Come on Carmen, let's hide in here. They'll never find us!"

Chopsuey saw the tears fall from Jenny's eyes and he smiled. He understood. Deep down Jenny didn't just think of Carmen as a good friend, but as a sister…

"Hermana means sister." Chopsuey spoke out loud as they raced across the beach towards the sounds of the battle. "And a good sister would never want to put another sister in danger…"

"You little pest!" The English woman remarked as Carmen staggered back to her feet. "Tell us where you book is or I'll walk all over you…just like that pathetic family who took you in!"

Carmen's eyes glinted. Howling she dove at Spike and Ms. Pence, who smirked and raised her book again. "**CECILIUS!**" She yelled.

Spike swung his tail, which grew to enormous proportions, and it slapped Carmen back to the ground.

"You should just lie down quietly and die." Ms. Pence remarked. "We British are far superior to your kind…wait…what's that?"

Carmen stood up, taking something out from her tutti-frutti hat…a lighter. All she could see in her head was her sister's tears, streaming down her face as the screams of Jenny's mother and father filled her ears.

Ms. Pence began to laugh and laugh. "HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! You actually? Oh LORD, this is just too good!"

"CHOO BIIIIITCH!" Carmen screamed as she jumped at them, holding up the lighter.

Ms. Pence's eyes narrowed. "Nobody insults me like that…**RHODESIUS!**"

Spike smirked and raised his tail, and two large spikes shot out, curling to impale Carmen from two sides…

"**IADEO!**"

A fist-shaped ball of green energy knocked Spike back, halting his spell. Carmen stopped and fell to the ground, blinking as Chopsuey, Nick and Jenny appeared behind her.

"We're not letting you hurt that girl anymore!" Nick shouted.

"Touch her again and I'll make you suffer!" Chopsuey hissed, clenching his fist.

"You call that a move?" Ms. Pence laughed. "Spike barely felt a thing!"

"You're gonna feel THIS!" Jenny yelled, opening up the pink spell book she carried. "**Cantancion!**" She yelled.

Carmen thrust her maracas forward and spun them around. They glowed with reddish/pink energy that shot forward in a beam that whizzed through the air, giving off an unmistakable Latin beat sound as it struck Spike, who flew back a dozen feet or so. Ms. Pence stepped back, frowning as Spike rose back up, panting slightly.

"Oh you might be able to win if you used a hundred of those." She remarked coldly. "Otherwise that move's PATHETIC." She stretched out her finger and pointed. "**Rudyardum!**" She bellowed. Spike leapt into the air and curled up in a ball, shooting out large spikes at them all.

"**ADVERSOR!**" Nick shouted quickly as Chopsuey's hands glowed. A pulsing shield rose up in front of them all, shielding them from the spikes and sending them flying away, some going right back at Spike…

KA-WHOOOM!

Sand was blown all around them. Nick and Chopsuey stood in front of Jenny and Carmen and waited…

Then the sand settled, showing Spike was brushing himself off. He and Ms. Pence were covered in sand, and he had many bruises on him, but…he was still very fine otherwise.

"So your dog can do a few tricks. Not impressed." Ms. Pence laughed. "Be an obedient little sheeple, American…let me burn your book!"

"Stop looking down on other races!" Nick screamed back at her. "You British people have a lot to answer for yourselves!"

"I can't stand listening to her hatred anymore…" Chopsuey muttered. "Let's shut her racist trap!"

"She…hurt…me familia…" Carmen muttered angrily.

"You made…two girls…cry…" Nick growled. "I hate what you have DONE!" He yelled. "This spell will bring you to justice!" He opened up his book and yelled at the sky.

"PLEASE! FOR THE SAKE OF THESE GIRLS!" He yelled. "**KIMAIRA!**"

Chopsuey spread his arms as a green aura rose from his body…but this time the color was not nearly as dark…in fact it was a blazing green. The beast manifested, spreading it's wings wide and rushing forward. It struck Spike with full force, knocking him through the air with a mighty bellow…

TINKLE-TINKLE-TINKLE!

The spikes fell off of his body like pine needles from a Christmas tree. Spike gasped in pain as Carmen raised her maracas, grinning almost as happily as Jenny…

"**The Second Spell! ANDALUSIA!**"

Carmen suddenly spouted extra arms from her body, and two more maracas manifested in midair. She twirled all four of them, and an even stronger burst of pulsing musical energy struck Spike, Ms. Pence, and the book…

The book was obliterated. Spike vanished with a "ping" and Ms. Pence gasped as she tried to stand up…only to fall flat on her butt in the sand, unconscious.

"We DID it!" Nick shouted.

Suddenly they noticed that the "Kimaira" was still there. It turned it's head slightly to look at them…

And smiled. Then it vanished.

To avenge others…for the sake of what was right. That was what the spell was meant to be for, Nick realized. He turned and saw Jenny closely hugging Carmen.

"Carmen, I'm sorry I yelled at you all those times! I'm sorry I said it was your fault! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I-"

Carmen hugged her back with all four arms. Jenny blinked slowly as her partner then spoke in clear, perfect English.

"A big sister can always forgive her little sister for anything." She said.

Jenny blinked. Then she sniffled. "G-Gracias? Is that how you say it?" Carmen nodded. "Oh, look, I'm…I'm getting you all wet with me crying…" Jenny mumbled as she rubbed her nose.

Carmen laughed. "Get me wet." She said, and hugged Jenny again.

Nick rubbed the back of his head as Chopsuey smiled happily. "I just love happy endings like this." The kid admitted to his partner.

"…hey…we didn't get to finish lunch!" Chopsuey complained. "I'm **STARRRVING!**"


	9. A Brutal Brawl!

**CHAPTER NINE**

**の残酷な乱闘！誰がチャンピオンになるのだろうか？**

**A Brutal Brawl! Who Will Become the Champion? **

Some days you feel it. A sensation enters your head and lets you know that the day is gonna end up bad.

This was one of those days for Nick and Chops. Both woke up with that foreboding darkness hanging in the back of their mind…

…

…

…

…"ugh. Pathetic." He remarked as he walked down the street with his book owner. The experiment had a blue nose, with yellow markings on his muscular, smooth body. He had a large white jaw and white gloves on his hands, and yellow tips on his small, red antennae. He looked very capable and rather heroic. "I don't get it. Why are there so many WEAKLINGS fighting to be champion? That idiotic Blowhard didn't put up much of a fight at all…" He admitted to his book owner, a gray-haired man wearing glasses. The man looked rather serious and he frowned slightly, his moustache quivering.

"Don't get whiny, Ace. What do you want?" He asked in a distinctly Jewish tone.

"What did you say Hegel?" Ace muttered.

"I'm asking what you want." His book owner Hegel remarked. "You've been like this a lot lately. Even WHEN you win you're so unsatisfied and irritated. It's like…you aren't getting what you want and you're whining about it like a little kid." He said, putting a cigar in his mouth and lighting it up.

Ace crossed his arms as they got into Hegel's car and Hegel started the engine. "PFFT. You don't get it, I always feel this way. But when I take strong guys and crush 'em into little pieces, I feel LOADS better." He bragged, grinning evilly.

"So that's what you want?"

"There's nothing that I **WANT**." Ace repeated, this time a bit more angrily.

RRR-REEEE!

The car came to a stop. Hegel tossed the cigar away and slowly grinned at Ace.

"Well then how about we try fighting strong people?" He said simply.

Ace's eyelids opened more widely. "…what do you mean?"

"There have been rumors…words whispered that those who go to Hawaii to fight experiments don't come back…"

Ace smirked. "Well…up for a tropical vacation, Hegel?"

…

…

…

…Chopsuey was lying on his back, looking at the clouds. He had a long piece of grass in his mouth and was just…looking at the shapes.

"Hmm." He thought to himself. "It's so peaceful here."

Sometimes it was good for him to just sit back and relax…

BONK!

"OW!"

Chopsuey groaned and got up, looking to his right. The ever-annoying Myrtle Edmonds was with her posse, looking at Chopsuey like he was…well, a mutt.

"Get lost, you freaky talking dog!" Myrtle said, throwing another rock that bounced off his head.

"Yeaaah!" The girls all said in agreement.

"Owwww." Chopsuey moaned, rubbing his head. "I'm trying to relax, can't you leave me alone for-"

BONK!

"Quit it!" Chops yelled. "I mean it, EDMONDS!"

Then a sharp whistle made them all jump. The girls turned around just in time to see Ace smirking evilly at them.

"…hello…" He said coldly.

They shrieked and ran. Chopsuey stood up, dusting himself off. He recognized Ace. "Ace, what are YOU doing here?" He muttered. "If it's for a stupid fight again…"

"Oh you're gonna fight me and like it, Chopsuey." Ace said. "Because if you don't…well, I'll just follow you to your house and force your book master to fight me. Or maybe I'll go to those kid's houses and deal with them first…"

Chopsuey's eyes turned to shining black steel as he glared furiously at Ace, who smiled. "Ahhh…THAT'S the Chopsuey I remember. I knew you'd be a good challenge. You have three hours. Meet me by the foot of the volcano. If you don't, well…"

With that, Ace walked off. Clenching his fist, Chopsuey raced backwards, running for home…

…

…

…

…"…so that's it." Chopsuey said. "We have to meet him in 2 and a half hours. And…he's strong, Nick. REALLY strong." He frowned. "He always was, ever since I first met him…"

"You know him from your lab days?" Nick asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah…Experiment 262 was made by Jumba to be strong enough to take down any other experiment that might rebel against him…he has this weird idea that truly "good" guys are people who are incredibly strong. Jumba eventually got so scared of him that he turned him back into a pod…I can't believe he lucked out and ended up in the contest." Chopsuey explained. "But…we can't just run away. Not when other people might get endangered."

Nick smiled. "THAT'S the Chops I've come to know and love! Don't worry about fighting him…we've been preparing for the day when we'd have to face a strong opponent. We have to keep moving forward if we're going to make it to the top!"

"Right." Chopsuey said, nodding. "Should we get going?"

"Yeah!" Nick said. "Let's do this thing!"

…

…

…

…"So you say that he was being picked on by little girls?"

"Yeah, he's gotten kind of weak." Ace laughed. "Though…" He smirked. "He flashed some good eyes at me…"

He still has it, Ace thought. That inner drive, that kind of strength that makes me shiver with some unknown pleasure when I think about it…

They approached the large tourist center at the bottom of the volcano and walked inside. Instantly some punkish teens looked up, frowning angrily.

"Hey, get the hell outta here!" The first shouted.

"Yeah, this is OUR turf!"

"Hmph. Sh-tty humans…get lost!" Ace growled, clenching his fists and holding them up as they glowed.

"**Bannou**!" Hegel read out.

BA-BOOOOM! A huge, circular blast of energy sent them flying back. Instantly they scrambled to their feet and took off, running like mad out the door. Ace turned to face a girl who was quivering with fear before them.

"What are YOU still doing here?" He growled. "Get out."

"But they're…they're still…" The woman muttered in fear, gesturing upward.

"Hmph. Fine. I'll BLAST you out. Hegel?" Ace raised his hands.

"**Bannou!**"

"**ADVERSOR!**"

Before Ace knew it, his attack was reflected back at him by a huge, glowing shield! He jumped back just in time as the shield dropped down to reveal Chopsuey and his book owner standing there.

Or rather, Chopsuey was facing them. The kid was talking to the girl.

"Please, my…my friends are on the second floor…help them!" She begged.

"Don't worry." Nick said gently. "I will."

"Both of us!" Chopsuey insisted.

Hegel smiled. "Treating humans with such kindness." He remarked as the girl ran out the door. "You've got guts."

"You must be pretty confident. Either that…or you underestimate my true POWER." Ace said.

"You're ridiculously powerful, I get that. But I've been preparing…" Nick gave Ace a look filled with a kind of burning hot desire. "To deal with foes like you."

"So he's going to take this seriously…good." Hegel thought.

"So you'll really fight me? Alright then…let's see if you've got enough strength to defeat me!" Ace said, getting into a fighting pose. "BRING IT OOOONNN!"

"**IADEO-IEDO!**"

"**BANNOU!**"

Ace's circular spell raced towards the two fists…who SHATTERED his spell and sent him flying back a few feet. "HA! We did it, we hit…" Nick began.

Then he saw Ace stand up, wiping some blood free from his mouth.

"So…you've got some good spells…this will be interesting." He remarked in a frightening tone.

"**BANNOU!**" Hegel roared out.

Ace thrust both hands forward and this time Hegel's more passionate shout created an even LARGER circular attack rushed forward, transforming into a cutting edge…

"**Adversor!**" Nick said, trying to stay cool. They could knock this back! The glowing shield popped up as Ace grinned.

"Clever little human!" He remarked, rushing forward. He twirled through the air, dodging the rebound that was sent back at him and raised his fist.

"**BURYOKU!**" Hegel yelled. Ace's fist became emblazed with a slicing buzzsaw of energy. He slammed it into the shield and it cut right through, making it fall to pieces, much to Nick's shock.

"Now GIMME YOUR BOOK!" Ace yelled, reaching for Nick's neck…

THA-WHOMP!

Chopsuey had delivered a headbutt to Ace, and the two sent sailing through the air. Ace smirked as he pushed Chopsuey back. "You've got guts…"

Then he noticed Nick was running for the stairs. "HEY! This isn't over until I say it's over!" He shouted, grabbing Chopsuey by his arm and throwing him at Nick.

Nick whipped around, hearing Ace's shout, and grabbed onto Chopsuey, throwing him up the stairs. "Go, quick! Help the people who are up there!" He yelled as Chopsuey landed on his face, barreling through a door to find some frightened school girls.

"Please don't eat us!" The first begged.

"Yeah, we're all skin and bones!" The second insisted.

"I'm not eating you, I'm SAVING you!" Chopsuey mumbled as he rubbed his head and stood up.

Nick began running up the stairs. Hegel rubbed his chin. "Hmm…"

"That coward let his experiment escape?!" Ace hissed.

"No…it seems there are still some people on the second floor. He sent that experiment up there to make sure they got out of the building." Hegel explained.

"Hmph. What idiots. What makes them think this is the time for that?" Ace sneered, rolling his eyes.

"Perhaps THAT is their "strength"." Hegel mused, rubbing his chin.

Ace, however, just snarled in a pitiless fashion. "Hmph! How naïve! TOO naïve! That sort of strength borderlines on the verge of hope…" He spat on the ground. "They're only pissing me off even more!" He howled.

"Then prove it! Crush them with your superior strength!" Hegel remarked.

"You don't gotta tell ME twice." Ace laughed, clapping his "booted" feet together. Suddenly tiny jets appeared from beneath, and he rose up higher, higher into the air! He headed RIGHT for the second floor…

"He can FLY?!?" Nick shouted. "This guy's too friggin' unpredictable!" Nick yelled as he continued to race up the stairs, even though he was only halfway up.

Ace crashed through the second floor wall and stood up, dusting himself off and smiling coldly as Chopsuey stood in front of the humans, arms outstretched.

"Hmph. Those humans can't help you beat me." Ace taunted, waving a finger in the air. He began to advance slowly…

"**IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick cried out.

BA-BOOM! The fist blast struck Ace right in the face and he slumped to the ground, bleeding from both nostrils. Nick had finally reached the top of the steps and now kicked the window down. "Quick, take the girls out through here!" He insisted.

"If you think for one minute I'd let you ESCAPE!!!-" Ace began, jumping forward…

But he was stopped in mid-air not by a punch or a kick or a headbutt but by eyes. One girl in each hand, Chopsuey's wasn't able to do anything, but Nick had stepped in front of Ace and was giving him a look of pure and utter FORCE, a glare that had the strength of a missile. Ace found his body quivering, unable to move…

"Chops…" Nick whispered.

Chops nodded and leapt out the window, down to the ground, then deposited the girls carefully. "You're safe now. Quick, get going." He insisted. As the girls ran off, he yelled up at the window. "NICK, THEY'RE ALRIGHT NOW!"

Inside the second floor room, Nick was curled up slightly, stomach battered, face bruised, blood flowing down his forehead…yet even now he was trying to stand back up. Ace cracked his knuckles. "Hmph. Damn human…all it takes is just a couple of punches and you're STILL trying to act like a tough little s—t?"

"Sh…shut it…you're the one who's full of it…" Nick said quietly, eyes glaring at Ace.

"You really wanna die that badly, huh?!" Ace growled, holding his fist up.

"NIIIIICK!" Chopsuey howled, leaping through the second floor window and SLAMMING into Ace. Ace was knocked back down from the top of the second floor to the ground below. He stood back up quickly, dusting himself off as Hegel approached him.

"Hmm. They've got quite a bit of fight in them." Hegel remarked.

"What they HAVE is one foot in the grave. The human's already taken three punches." Ace told him, cracking his neck.

"Is that so?" Hegel mused. _"So…he's not knocked out yet? That's a first…"_ He thought to himself.

Up on the second floor, Nick grit his teeth as he stood up, blood oozing down his forehead. "Nick, you're…you're covered in blood." His partner said softly, sadly, placing his hand on his partner's shoulder.

"I know, but…we've…done well, haven't we? The girls are safe…" Nick said. "You're…going to become somebody…who'll be a GOOD champion…and now that the girls can't be hurt…all that's left…"

He stood back up, even though his body felt as if it was on fire. "Is to kick his shiny red ass!"

Hegel watched as Nick and Chopsuey approached the big opening that had been knocked down in the wall at the second floor. "The human took a beating from you and he's still standing…"

Ace frowned. Those eyes…that look he'd had…

"Let's get serious." He said softly. "I'm gonna crush these guys for REAL!" he roared, getting into a fighting pose.

"Right then!" Hegel took ahold of Ace by the leg. "**ZENNOU!**"

Ace began to spin rapidly around like a gigantic red top! They quickly rose up through the air, right towards Nick and Chopsuey.

"Quick, this way!" Chopsuey yelled, running to the right with Nick following right afer.

Unfortunately this didn't work out too well. While still spinning, Ace KICKED off the roof and deflected himself, and now he and Hegel were spinning after Chops and Nick once again!

"YAARRRGHH!" Nick yelled. "These guys are WAY too unpredict-"

KA-THWACKA-THWACKA-THWACKA!

Nick and Chops were forcibly knocked to the ground, groaning in pain. Ace resumed his normal fighting stance and smirked as he leapt into the air, fist raised. "Don't tell me you're giving up already? It's too soon to be knocked down!" He laughed.

Chops jumped forward, getting into his own fighting stance, but Ace just smirked. "HA! As if you could really defend against me!" He crowed, slamming his fists left and right, left and right.

THWAMP! Chops grabbed ahold of Ace's arm with his right arm. "HA!"

"Crafty, aren't you?" Ace remarked, raising his other fist.

"CHOPS! **IADEO!**" Nick yelled.

Chops flung his fist at Ace's face…but the fist blast skimmed by his cheek, only giving a cut. Ace growled angrily. "Trying to knock me off balance? Try THIS!"

He flung Chops at Nick and the two collided hard. Hegel read out another spell! "**Bannou!**"

BA-BOOM! The floor beneath Nick and Chops turned to rubble and they fell down…down…

"Now you're open to MY attack!" Ace yelled, his entire body glowing brightly. "**CHIKARAZUKU!"** Hegel announced, and Ace thrust his fists together. The moment they collided, a large, swirling wave of golden energy went whizzing right at our heroes, a twister of pure power!

_"Please let this work!"_ Nick thought, tucking the book under his shirt and clinging tightly to Chopsuey, he kicked off a piece of rubble that was falling along with them. "Please let it be enough to just BARELY escape or…"

******THA-WHOOOOM!  
**

…there was dust everywhere. The building was trashed. Only rubble seemed to be left. Ace stood there, arms folded, panting angrily. Hegel stood by him, frowning slightly.

"So you didn't get what you wanted?" He asked quietly.

Ace was quiet, not even looking up from the large cloud of dust before them. Hegel sighed and scratched his cheek, thinking back to the first day he'd met Ace…

…

…

…

…"So, Ace…" Hegel had said, walking back and forth, holding Ace's brilliant red book before him. "This fight will determine who the greatest of your creator's experiments are?"

"Yeah." Ace said. "I simply have to defeat every enemy that comes before me and I'll win."

Hegel blinked, then looked out of the corner of his eyes at Ace. "Hmph." He said, smirking. "Is that REALLY all it takes?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ace asked, looking confused.

"Oy, who knows? Think it over yourself." Hegel muttered. "Well…let's get going, then…"

…

"Ha-HA! My first victory…what a weakling. At this rate, I'll be the champ in no time!"

…

"What? You're giving up ALREADY? You b—tard. Are you even going to TRY and put up a fight?"

…

"Forgive YOU?! Don't mess with me you weak b—tard! How can someone as weak as you have been in the running?!?"

Hegel wasn't the only one thinking. Ace stood there, mind clouded with troubled thoughts. _"Something IS missing_." He thought. _"Even when I win I'm not satisfied. Those that are the strongest are those that are right, yet even though I've proven time and time again that I'm strong, I do not feel settled…I thought fighting against these two would be different, there seemed to be something…something in them that wasn't in the oth-"_

Suddenly his mind drifted back to Nick's glare, and in that moment, he heard a cough and his eyes went wide as he saw the shapes coming out of the dust cloud!

"So…it's not over yet." Ace said, a big smirk on his face. This was more like it.

"We're…gonna…win…" Nick muttered as he stood before them, holding up his book even as blood dripped down from his cheek and arms onto the ground. "WE'RE GONNA WIIIIIIN!"

"YEAH!" Chopsuey howled, clenching his clawed fists.

"**KIMAIRAAAAA!**" Nick screamed as Chopsuey's body convulsed madly, calling forth a brilliant emerald beast who's lion-like head roared as it shot forth, aiming to obliterate their foe.

"They have a spell like THIS?!" Hegel shouted. He quickly raised his own book. "**SANGUN!**"

Ace raised his hands up, and a glowing gold and red emblem that reminded Nick of the standard of the "Justice League" appeared. Ace groaned in pain as the aura beast pressed down harder and harder on the shield with it's jaws, and the ground around Ace and his book keeper began to crack into rubble…

"AAARRRRRR!!!" Ace howled…

THA-WHOOOOOOM!

The beast's jaws slammed shut. With a mighty explosion, dust was blown everywhere and…

"HA…how do you…like that…you…monster…" Nick gasped as he hit the ground, unable to stand. "Even…you…should…"

Then his eyes went wide.

Ace stood there, blood pouring down from his shoulders and arms, legs scratched up, blood trickling from his mouth.

"Not…yet…" He whispered. "My anger's…still…boiling over…"

"_How on Earth?"_ Nick thought. _"He took our ultimate spell and is still standing?! What…what's WITH this guy?!"_

"How boring. Is that all you have?" Ace asked, spitting out some blood.

"_I can't…cast any more spells."_ Nick thought to himself. _"D-Darn it…"_

"Hmph…" Ace frowned. He had thought they'd been different from the rest, but…

"Let's end it." He raised his fists.

"**BANNOU!**"

The attack whooshed through the air…and Chopsuey raced in front of Nick, arms held up, blocking the attack from hitting his partner with a grunt. "You blocked it with your bare hands?!" Ace gasped. He growled and raised his fist up, jumping forward. "STUPID IDIOT, DON'T YOU GET IT?!? YOU'VE-"

"OUOOOOOO!!!" Chopsuey howled, jumping through the air, eyes steely and blazing like before. Ace found himself paralyzed…he couldn't move…

"_How can he stop me like this?!"_ Ace thought just before Chopsuey's punch sent him to the ground.

"…Chopsuey…you've…gotta…run…" Nick whispered as Chopsuey walked back to Nick.

"Nick, relax, I'm…I'm not leaving you here!" Chopsuey said, picking Nick up and resting him against a flat-enough piece of rubble.

"You…little…HAND OVER YOUR BOOK QUIETLY!" Ace hollered, fist raised as he leapt through the air…

"I WON'T LET YOU PAAAAASSSSS!" Chopsuey screamed as he stretched out his arms…

It was as if thunderbolts struck the ground around them. Nobody moved. All of time was frozen in the area as a static force buzzed around them.

"He…stopped…my hand again! What is it about his…his eyes?!" Ace muttered as he looked into the coal-black eyes of Chopsuey, seeing the fierce blaze within. "Why…do those eyes frighten me?!"

"Hmm…" Hegel stepped forward. "This is as far as we go." He said. Before Ace could protest, he raised a finger and pointed at Chopsuey. "Chopsuey, right? Tell me…what kind of champion do you wish to become?"

"I…will become…a GOOD champion." Chopsuey panted. "One who's fair and understanding…who will return to my father…and convince him that such fights like this are unjust!"

"A road of kindness is a difficult road. But it explains why you helped those humans escape before. However, being considerate of others can make you irrational…knowing that, will you still fight?" Hegel asked.

"I'd rather die than…become a champion…**that would allow innocents to suffer!**" Chopsuey said harshly, almost spitting at them.

"And Ace? What of you? For a hoodlum, just beating down every enemy in front of you is fine, but that's not a very worthy path for someone who thinks himself a servant of true justice." Hegel said. "And I think you know deep down that the might you have right now could never make right…that's why you can't bring yourself to strike them…these warriors with passionate resolve in their eyes." Hegel said, an amused expression on his face.

"D-d-don't screw with me!" Ace yelled, slamming his fist into the ground with a growl. "Are you saying I'm afraid of this naïve little duo!?!"

"What kind of champion will you become then?" Hegel asked.

"…I…will become a strong champion…" Ace said, clenching his fist so tightly he almost popped his knuckles out of his torn and tattered gloves. "A strong champion that has absolute power…" He turned to Hegel, a blaze in his eyes. **"THE STRONGEST CHAMPION WHO WILL ****NEVER**** SUBMIT TO ****ANY**** OTHER POWER!"** He roared.

A champion who would never, ever give in to the will of anyone else…interesting, Nick thought.

"Alright, fine, 621..we'll let you go for now! We'll see what sort of champion deserves to stay around…time will tell if our drives succeed…but don't you forget we could have burnt your book to cinders right now!" Ace growled, pointing at Nick.

"See you around." Hegel said. "And get stronger…you're an interesting pair."

…

…

…

…"So…perhaps I need to think more about strategy. I can't just keep beating down every opponent that's in front of me like a hood." Ace mused. "I'll need to practice!" He thought out loud. "One thing's for sure, this fight's gotten a lot more interesting now that I met those guys…I hope they get stronger so I can meet them and beat them when they're at their best!"

"Looks like you've finally gotten what you wanted." Hegel said happily. "I'm looking forward to seeing them again too."

**Author's Note:**

**It was a nice little twist, turning the one "good guy" experiment into something of a bad guy, but I made it work. Review! Oh, and enjoy this preview:**

**Nick: I don't know who she is, but she's begging for our help!**

**Chopsuey: Kim Possible is her name, right? **

**Kim: Yeah, but even this sort of thing is impossible without help!**

**Chopsuey: You must really love your partner...**

**Kim: I WON'T let them take 623 away from me!**

**Nick: It's a race to save a forbidden love on the next Alternate Fate: Fantasy! **


	10. Forbidden Love Can't Be Denied!

**CHAPTER TEN**

**ダブルデビュー！禁断の愛を否定することはできません！**

**Double Debut! Forbidden Love Cannot Be Denied! **

"Hmm…"

Nick paced back and forth, back and forth. He had been planning on taking the "HAPT" or "Hawaiian Academic Placement Test" today, but something more important than that had happened.

Somebody was in trouble. BIG trouble.

They'd come begging to HIM for help…

"I don't know what their story is…I don't know this "Trainer" is like…" Nick spoke quietly, finally turning to face Chopsuey as he stood outside on the porch.

"But I do know this…that girl is desperate…even though we're technically enemies in this fight, she came crawling to us for help, asking for aid…I can't deny somebody like that!"

"I wish I knew what Trainer looked like myself." Chops admitted. "But all I know is the name and number he has from looking at a roll call list back at the lab. But if you're sure about this…"

Nick looked up at the clouds that lazily drifted by.

"…I am." He said. "Let's go help that girl get her partner back!"

…

…

…

…elsewhere, far off the coast of California, Trainer sat back in the cold cell, tied up…and not doing anything.

A guard walked by the cell and lifted up his shotgun, looking Trainer over with interest. "Hmph, still not moving? Come on canary…sing a little!"

Silence.

"Even with all your freakish powers, you're not going to try anything?" He asked. "What ARE you up to, "demon"?"

"I'm not "planning" anything and I'm not a demon. I'm only thinking of Kim's happiness."

"Her HAPPINESS?" The guard snarled, going into the cell. "Don't try and bulls—t us! You deceived her as well!?!" With that angry yell, he slammed the butt of the shotgun onto Trainer's head…

DRIP…DRIP…DRIP…

Even though blood oozed down from the forehead, Trainer still spoke. "If your business is concluded, then leave." The red-haired experiment spoke quietly, dark green eyes keenly gazing back. "I'm not intending to escape."

"D-D-Damn right you're not!" The guard snapped, leaving the experiment in the cell. "It's not like you can SWIM the 50 miles back to San Francisco!"

"…this is enough…this is enough…" Trainer thought. "I have to be strong for her…this is all for Kim…"

…

…

…

… "Where is my partner, Ron!?!"

"For the thousandth time, when I'm at work, it's Zorpox, Kim…"

"You haven't got the costume on, don't give me that crap!"

"…fine, fine. What's the problem, Kim?"

A blond-haired teenager wearing a leather jacket and dark pants stood behind a desk at the top floor of a large, crystalline office building. He lowered his shades and looked at the red-haired, lovely-looking athletic girl before him, dark brown gazing into dark green.

"You'd better tell me where Trainer is!" Kim shouted angrily, slamming her fist into his desk and knocking over a plate full of food that resembled a cross between a nacho and a taco. Ron, aka "Zorpox", frowned.

"Kim, Trainer isn't human, you know…that's why I've separated you two."

"You always ruin everything!" Kim shouted angrily, clenching her fists. "No matter who I'm friends with, you always pull them away somehow!"

Ron stood up suddenly, glaring into her eyes. "And what's THAT supposed to mean, Kim?"

"Your spy organization's activities made you infamous, Ron! Everyone's afraid of you, even your rival, Dr. Drakken!" She shouted. "I can't even be seen within three feet of you or people will be afraid of me too! And as a spy, I can never find a friend who'll stick with me through the missions you send me on, because none of them were skilled or brave enough!...but…"

She looked down. "But 623…Trainer, Trainer was different! Even though he knew how much trouble I got into a spy, Trainer stuck with me…and said it didn't matter what kind of character you had…"

"That freak was just using you!" Ron said calmly, turning away and clasping his hands behind his back as he looked out one of the large windows.

"Why…you…that's it! I'm tired of this! Even if I have to break your legs, I'll get Trainer's location out of you!!!" She howled, rushing through the air…

THWOMP!

Ron had turned around, blocking it with his fist. "So you're really opposing me? Fine, K.P…I'll tell you where Trainer is. There's an island 50 miles from here, straight west. It's called the "Jail of Stone" due to the jail at the top of an impregnable summit that's upon the island."

He suddenly twisted around and kicked Kim through the air. She re-righted herself just in time and landed on her feet and one hand.

"With or without your friend, you have a mission to Honk Kong in a week. And you'll go, whether you like it…or NOT." He snarled. "Now get out of my sight! I have to order more nacos!"

…

…

…

…Nick had been lying on a hammock in his backyard, the book on a table just nearby. He was looking up at the clouds, singing to himself.

"Oh I'm doing okay, yeah! I'm doing alright! Now it's finally happened, now I've seen the light, and I think I'm gonna learn to love it heeeere!"

SNATCH!

Then he'd seen a girl in a black outfit running through the yard with HIS book in her hand! He tore after her, down the street, waving his arms above his head. "GIMME THAT BOOK BACK YOU LOUSY THIEF!" He shouted.

She turned a corner and he ran after her…

And there she was, bowing down, book in front of her. "Sorry for taking your book, but you were the first book owner I could find! The name's Kim Possible…" She held the book up, eyes pleading. "I have a request for you and your experimental partner!"

"…huh?" Nick blinked.

"I know this is selfish to ask of you, but…I don't know who else I can count on besides somebody else who has an experiment…I can't do this on my own! I don't want to lose Trainer! So…" She sniffled. "Would ya please…please help me?"

…

…

…

…Kim looked around the airport for a few moments, then hung her head, her hair falling down as she sighed sadly.

"I shoulda seen this coming. What did I expect? This is the kind of fight that turns everyone who has a book into an enemy." She muttered. "F-Fine. I'll do this by myself! It's always been possible before for me!...even though…"

…

…

…

…even though before, the idea of having a friend had seemed IMPOSSIBLE. But then…

_"So your name is Trainer, designation 623? This is…a very dangerous power you have." _

"I know, and in this fight, you might get very hurt." Trainer had told her. "But…if you could…I'd…I'd like you to fight alongside me!"

"Of COURSE!" Kim had said happily, beaming. "We're gonna give it our best!"

"But…the odds are near impossible…" Trainer remarked.

_"Check the last name." Kim said, smiling proudly._

_"…Kim…you __mean__ it?" _

"Heck yeah!"

"…ALRIGHT! Once more! Read the spell, but with more feeling!"

…

…

…

…with her spy skills, his knowledge of the martial arts and the spells, they had two up on every other fighter, as quickly realized in their first fight. However, Trainer had been seriously hurt…

At Kim's apartment, she began to bandage Trainer's arm up, looking very nervous as she did so

"_Kim, why are you…helping me so much? I'm sorry to ask, I'm just not used to somebody spending so much time on me." Her partner added apologetically. _

_"…I told you about my boss, Ron. Everyone who ever found out who my boss was instantly became afraid of me and ran away, but…you didn't…and you're not like the other operatives I've worked with on missions, who can't keep up with my pace!" She said. "Instead of running, you said you'd stay by my side! I couldn't be happier!" She laughed._

_"…heh…thank you…" Trainer said quietly._

…

…

…

…_then that day had come._

_"Why don't you wanna fight anymore?" Kim had asked, looking confused and hurt. _

"_It's because…you've become very important to me, and I…"_

_The experiment fell to the ground on it's knees, covering it's eyes. "I don't want you getting hurt!"  
_

"…_Trainer…" _

"Hey!"

Kim looked up, and she beamed at a welcome sight.

"This is my partner, Chopsuey, experiment 621…"

"We're gonna save your partner."

…

…

…

…"Thanks for the lift, Mr. Johnson!" Kim said, waving goodbye to the boat owner.

"It's the least I could do after you saved my kitten from that fire!" He laughed, waving goodbye.

They carefully made their way across the beach and over to a large ring of stones. Peeking behind it, Kim whispered "There's a lot of guards here…"

"Well…that's no problem." Nick said. "We've got a lot of spells…and something tells me even if we hadn't come, you would have come here by yourself, wouldn't you?"

Kim grinned. "You've got me nailed down, don'tcha?"

"Alright…first, a distraction! **IADEO!**" Nick whispered, pointing at a far off point.

Chopsuey swung his fist and a green, fist-shaped blast of energy was sent flying through the air. It hit the ground, causing an explosion, and most of the guards ran to check it out.

"Quick, quick, go!" Nick whispered, and they tore across the ground, rushing at the other guards. Before they could react…

"**RETRAHO!**"

Chopsuey manifested a grappling gun and it shot out, swinging around the guards and sending them flying into the ocean. They all plopped in, shouting angrily about their ruined suits. Unfortunately, one had been missed…though Kim was currently holding him down right now, keeping him from moving.

"I know you! You're Kim Possible! Don't tell me you're after that dumb demon? Don't you get it? It would never work! It's forbidden!"

"Shut it!" She yelled, holding him up in the air, eyes narrowed. "You don't know the first thing about Trainer, a person who stood by me no matter what!"

"PERSON!? That beast isn't human! I only have to look into it's eyes to see the truth! Those eyes have no problem with seducing another with sweet words, all for the purpose of hurting another in the-"

"I SAID SHUT UUPPPP!" Kim shouted, punching him over and over. She tossed him to the ground, then leapt on top, grounding and pounding him as tears flowed down from her eyes in rivers. "Trainer never thought about hurting me, always stood by my side, protected me from getting hurt! Made me laugh!" WHACK! "Made me smile!" SMACK! "WHY DOESN'T ANYBODY UNDERSTAND OUR LOVE?!?"

The man was finally unconscious. Kim stood back up, holding her sides. "My partner…is a good…person…"

"…yeah…" Nick said, smiling gently. "Come on…I can see an elevator up ahead…"

Unfortunately, as they approached the elevator, there came a revelation…it was broken. Kim, however…

"I've got this." She said, holding up a grappling gun of her own that came with her toolbelt. "You stay here…I can take it from here on, alright?"

She shot the hook up and it whizzed through the air, letting out a "CLINK" sound as it dug into the top. She began to scale the large mountain, heading for the jail at the top, thinking about the past…

"_So what world are you from?" _

"One far beyond this one, Ms. Possible."

"Ha-ha! That makes you a spirit."

_"Oops, a bird's fallen asleep in your hair, Kim!" _

"I'll just wait for it to wake up."

"So you really want to win the contest?"

"Well, if I am to become the champion, I have to gain great strength…and I want to be a champion who has the strength to protect all the people I care about!...and…and that includes you, Kim."

And then it happened. Suddenly the grappling hook gave way.

"AAAA!" Kim shouted as she fell down…down…

SNATCH!

She looked up to see Nick holding onto her shirt. "I…I gotcha!" He said, tugging her into the now-working elevator.

"How'd you get this thing working?" She asked, amazed.

"Kanjijibe!" Chopsuey said, holding up two wires. "ZZZ-ZZ!"

"This sort of thing comes natural to Chopsuey." Nick laughed. "We'll be up there in no time!"

But when they DID reach the top…

Somebody else was there. It was an experiment that was a remarkably beautiful swan with a golden crest at the top of her head. She had beautiful black eyes, sky blue markings on her front, and dark blue feathers on her butt.

"So…what have we here?" She asked in a diva-type voice.

"Who are you?! Where's Trainer?!" Kim demanded to know.

"Ah, you must mean that experiment locked up over THERE." The swan said, pointing with one wing towards a large jail. She smirked. "I, Phoebe the Glorious, was just about to crush that little runt with my beautiful techniques, but I suppose I can spare some time for YOU, ogre."

"Hmph." Chopsuey took up a fighting position as Nick held up his spell book. "You've got balls, "sister"…I give you that! But it'll take more than guts to beat me, right Nick?"

"Here we go!" Nick shouted. "KP, go after Trainer, we'll hold her here! **IAEDO!**"

Chopsuey swirled his fist through the air and it struck home, but…

"Hold us here?" Phoebe laughed, showing that her wings had completely blocked the attack. "Are you retarded or something?"

"It didn't do anything…we'll have to try a new tack!" Chopsuey growled.

"TRAINER!" Kim shouted, rushing to the bars of the prison. Her partner looked her over.

"…what are you doing here?" The experiment mumbled unhappily.

THA-WHOOOM!

A full-on body blast from the flying experiment had knocked Nick and Chops through the air. They stood up, dusting themselves off, and took up another fighting pose.

"Oh please, you're so far beneath me it's not even funny!" Phoebe laughed. "All it takes is a single "Aile" spell to knock you away! Maybe that experiment in the jail's stronger…let's kill him first!"

"WHAT? You'd attack a defenseless experiment?" Nick shouted.

"Why not?" Phoebe asked. "I can get away with anything. I'll always be forgiven because of my beauty!"

Nick raised a finger and stuck out his tongue, eyes closed. "I don't think you're a beauty. I think you're a bitch." He said cheerfully.

"Hmph!" She snarled, slicing her wings in front of her. "Weak fools shouldn't bark like the big dogs!"

"**COULISSE!**" Her book owner yelled out, as a wind blast was sent rushing towards them.

"**Adversor!**" Nick announced, raising up the shield spell to reflect it back!

Phoebe just raised a feather in the air though, nonchalant. "That's not gonna wooork!" She sang out.

"Trainer, come out!" Kim begged. "I don't care if I get hurt fighting with you! I…LIKE YOU! **LIKE** YOU, LIKE YOU!"

"I…I don't…don't like you, I…" Trainer murmured, eyes closed, almost crying.

"Aw, still not giving her the book? You really want to die together, huh?" Phoebe asked, smirking as she turned towards them.

"Get out of here, Kim! I-" Trainer cried out.

Kim stood in front of the jail, arms outstretched. "I hate it when people lie!" She announced. "And I wasn't lying when I said I loved you! I don't care if it's wrong…I don't care if I get torn apart!"

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Trainer yelled.

"What's the matter?" Kim asked gently. "If you don't care about me, why are you so worried?" She laughed sadly.

"I can't see what you look like! I can barely hear your words, but I hope you can hear MINE, damn it!" Nick screamed. "That girl fought all this way just to see you! Can't you see she's crazy about you! HOW CAN YOU JUST TURN HER AWAY!?" He roared. _**"DO YOU THINK HER FEELINGS ARE USELESS, TRAINER?!?"**_

"…I…I…" Trainer looked down and to the side in shame.

"Don't you want to become a champion who has the strength to protect everyone? The strength to fight against fate or any other obstacle? Start your journey and PROTECT KIM!" Chopsuey hollered.

"Such sentiment from such an ugly being makes me wanna puke. End it and eliminate these wastes of life!" Phoebe snapped.

"**Aile!**" Her book keeper announced. Phoebe spun rapidly at Kim, intending to tear her apart..

Suddenly the book slipped through the bars…Kim grabbed it and read a spell.

"**BUBISHI!**"

THA-WHOOM! A HUGE punch knocked Phoebe through the air, and Nick stood in awe of this experiment that had not only pulled Kim away from danger, but who's strike had knocked Phoebe AND the bars of the cell into the sky. She stood up, spiky red hair flowing in the wind. Stubby antennae, dark green eyes, a black belt wrapped around her light brown/tan fur, and she had a white chest. Sharp black claws and a big, proud smile were the final touches as she looked over at Nick and Chops.

"I'll protect you…KP." She said.

"She's…a girl." Chops realized.

Nick blinked a couple times, then shrugged, smiling gently. "Yeah…so?"

"…nothing." Chops decided right there. "Nothing at all."

"You little…UPSTART!" Phoebe snarled. "Don't let that sucker punch you took against my beautiful face give you any ideas…"

"**BLESSÉ!"** Her book owner yelled.

Tha-WHOOSH! She slammed both wings together, summoning forth an even larger strike of wind, which spiraled around and around, zooming towards Trainer and Kim.

"No problem! **GENDAI BUDO!**"

Trainer's belt whizzed up through the air, circling rapidly around as it glowed, creating a glowing black shield that knocked the attack to the ground.

"You…annoying…ugly…" Phoebe snarled. "How DARE you block that! Try THAT spell!"

"**PIANOA!**" Her book keeper announced as Phoebe rose into the air. "THE GIRL DIES FIRST!"

She rushed at Kim with almost impossible speed, spinning around and around like a big, white top, but Kim was quicker! She dived through the air and did a cartwheel, moving away from the attack and Phoebe slammed into the ground.

"AAA! You've made me scratch my beautiful face!" Phoebe howled, holding a wink to her beak.

Kim then looked to her right to see the book keeper cast another "Pianoa" spell, then he reached into his BULGING pocket of his jacket…

But both he and Phoebe were too slow!

"Kime No Kata: Tachi Waza!" Trainer shouted, thrusting her hand forward. BA-BAM! She stopped the swirling Phoebe in midair!

THW-WACKA! Kim backflipped, then kicked upward at a 90 degree angle, sending the evil diva's book keeper flying into air, dropping the derringer he'd had tucked away in his pocket. He hit the ground hard and staggered up, seeing stars…

"And now…Nage No Kata: UKI OTOSHI!"

Trainer's hand BURST through the spinning aura surrounding Phoebe and grabbed her by the beak, throwing her into the air. She landed with a harsh THUDDA WONK as she hit her still-staggering book keeper and they fell into a heap. "You're not touching Kim!" She howled.

"You GO, Trainer!" Kim laughed, punching the air.

Nick stood up, dusting himself off as he walked over to Trainer and Kim with Chops by his side.

"Nick…Chopsuey…thank you for helping us." Kim said happily.

"How can I repay you for your aid?" Trainer asked, holding one fist against an open palm and bowing slightly.

"Save your thanks for Kim. It was her courage that led us to come here. I can't resist such a spirited request!" Nick insisted.

"So what sort of champion will you become?" Chops asked. "I intend to be a good and just one…one who will convince Jumba to stop fights like these!"

Trainer blinked, then smiled. "You know…that sounds like a noble goal. I intend to become a protecting champion…but a warrior must also allow kindness into his heart as well as allowing knowledge of skills into his head. Let's BOTH strive to become good champions!"

Trainer and Kim nodded. Kim blushed. "Thanks again. And…see you around."

With that, they headed down the elevator while Nick and Chops watched them go, smiles on their faces. Suddenly…

"Oh." Chops turned around to see Phoebe hovering in the air, eyes wide with fury. "She's still kicking?"

"And she looks ANGRY." Nick remarked.

"I'M GOING TO PECK YOUR EYES OUT!" Phoebe screeched.

"Looks like the swan's a crow." Nick laughed. "I think we'd better finish them here!"

Phoebe dived through the air…

"**IADEO IEDO!**" Nick yelled.

…

…

…

…Kim and Trainer looked into the eyes of "Zarpox", who had crossed his arms and was wearing a red and black outfit now, since he was "at work". He had several associates with him as well.

"Alright…you freaky furry thing. What are you up to with my best agent?" He asked.

"I'm taking her with me on my journey. Even if it's against your wishes, Ron."

Ron frowned. "It's ZARPOX, I'm at work right now!" He snapped. "And you must be living in a cloud cuckoo-land if you think I'd let you walk off with my best agent…"

"I am going to protect her until the very end." Trainer said stonily. "No matter what enemy comes, I will not back down."

"Oh really? Even…"

"Zarpox" held his hand up. One of them placed a steel pipe in his hands. "IF IT'S ME!?!"

"I'M NOT RUNNING!" Trainer howled as the steel pipe whizzed towards her head…

And stopped a second before it could hit her. "Zarpox" smirked.

"…that's…spunk. Alright. Fine. Take the boat out of here." He said, gesturing to the side. "Once Kim's mind is set on something, nothing can stop her, and her mind's truly set on you."

"One more thing…a boy and a green experiment helped us get here. Just make sure they get off the island safe." Kim said.

"Zarpox" shrugged and began walking towards the elevator.

"And Ron…" Kim added gently.

He stopped in his tracks.

"…thank you."

"…" He smiled slightly. "You take care…KP…" He said quietly.

**Author's Note:**

**You didn't see THAT coming, did you? Well I hope you enjoyed the chapter all the same. Please review...and enjoy this preview of the next chapter!**

**Nick: Ahh, there's no place like Honolulu...**

**Morpholomew: Hey there, Choppy!**

**Chopsuey: AAA! My Self-Proclaimed Biggest Fan! Nick, help me!**

**Morpholomew: My partner's vanished and his concert's in an hour!**

**Chopsuey: WHEN did we become friends?...**

**Nick: Of course we'll help you! But Chops is gonna hafta smell some underwear to track him down...**

**Chopsuey: _WHAAAAA?!? _NO-NO-NOOO!**

**Morpholomew: I hope you guys can find him on the next "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"! **


	11. Revenge of the Nerd!

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**は、おたくのリベンジ！スペシャルコンサートまもなく開始されます！**

**Revenge of the Nerd! The Special Concerts Begin Soon!**

For the most part, Nick and Chopsuey didn't really "get out" much. They hung around the house or around town, but that was it. And to be truthful…Chopsuey wanted to see the big city!

Nick was worried though.

"How do I know you won't revert to some sort of inner destructive programming that'll make you wreck large cities, knock down street signs and steal everyone's left shoe?"

Chopsuey raised a single brow. "Oh come on! Would this face lie to you?" He asked, smiling at Nick and giving him the best "Bambi Eyes" impression Nick had ever seen.

Well, Nick couldn't resist the Bambi Eyes, so our hero decided "why not". They took a boat to Honolulu and were currently on the deck among many, many tourists…aka "shoobies".

"Oh geez…they SMELL." Chopsuey moaned.

"Do I smell?" Nick asked. "I put on lots of Vanilla Body-"

"No, I mean, all together they smell like bad perfume!" He said, covering his nose. "It's all those middle-aged women!"

"Yeah, 45 going on 20!" Nick sniggered.

One of the women overheard this and put her hands on her hips, looking angrily at him. "What, kid? You mean to tell me you're not the least bit attracted…" She winked sexily at him and did a quick hip shake. "All THIS?"

"Do you wanna know what doesn't go with that "Hello Kitty" t-shirt you're wearing?" Nick asked.

"Okay, what?" She wanted to know.

"Your C-Section scar!" Nick sniggered.

FIVE MINUTES LATER…

"CHOPS, HELP! I CAN'T HOLD ON MUCH LONGER, PULL ME UP!" Nick yelled, barely holding onto a life preserver as he was whipped back and forth in the air by the wind, hovering some distance in the air away from the ship.

"I'M TRYIIIIING!" His partner screamed back.

MUCH LATER…

"That's better." Nick said, rubbing his body with a large, rainbow-colored towel. "Good thing I thought ahead!"

"Sorry about letting go. It just slipped!" Chopsuey apologized.

"The important thing is that we're here, Chops." Nick insisted. "Just relax, this place is nice!"

They had finally arrived at Honolulu and were going to see the sights. The sky was blue, the air was crisp and fresh, and the first thing Nick decided they'd do was to go into the city and take it all in from up top.

But just before they could reach the skyscraper of "Lookout Tower", Nick noticed something on a big billboard.

"Hmm…Arthur T. Spudinski's Tribute to Aloha"?"

"Greetings?" Chops asked, confused. They both looked at the American teenager on the billboard who was smiling in a rather cute way at everyone who saw the billboard.

"No, no, aloha doesn't just mean "hello" or "goodbye"…but love." Nick said. "Compassion, kindness, heart!" He explained. "The aloha you give always comes back to you! All you need is love…love…love is all you need!" He sang happily.

"Wait…" Chopsuey sniffed the air a few times. Then his eyes widened. "Oh NO!" He gasped. "I know that scent ANYWHERE…it's that annoying experiment 316, Morpholomew!"

"Morpholomew?" Nick asked, confused. "Does he change shape?"

"Good guess, and yes! But that little red blob's the most annoying experiment in the world!" Chops moaned. "He wouldn't stop following me around, asking for my autograph after every mission I did! He'd sneak into the showers just to catch a glimpse of me! He made a hair doll from my Mohawk!!!"

"Wow, that's cute AND creepy." Nick commented. He looked around the square, scanning the place. "Well I don't see him around any-"

"WA-HAAAA!"

GLOMP!

Jumping from out of a window, a red blob hugged tightly onto Chops. "CHOPS! You're here! Oh, I missed you, I missed you!"

"Help…me…" Chops begged, tears falling down his cheeks.

"Help…me…"

Chops stopped crying. He blinked. "What?" Turning his head, he saw Morpholomew was on the verge of tears.

"Please…help me!"

…

…

…

…inside of Spud's dressing room in the concert hall, Nick sat down on the bed along with Chops as Morpholomew lay on his "knees" on the ground before them.

"Alright, what's the problem?" Nick asked.

"For starters, here…"

Morpholomew gave them a bottle each. "Orange Julius. Great for your health and they'll make you feel like you're flying!"

Nick eagerly took a sip. "MMM!"

Chopsuey took a chug. His eyes immediately bugged out slightly and he began to quiver rapidly.

"Uh oh. Sugar rush." Nick said.

"I AM THE ULTIMATE LIFE FOOOOOORM!" Chops roared as he shot straight up through the roof, three dozen feet in the air. He came back down with a "THA-THUNK" on the bed, making Nick bounce up a few feet before HE came back down.

"Careful, Chops, remember what happens when you have coffee?"

"Nobody can PROVE I did that!" Chops said quickly.

"Also…" Morph held up a DVD. "My good buddy Spud released a theatrical masterpiece!"

"You're hiding some-" Nick began.

CLICK!

On it went!

There he was! A brown-haired youth wearing a red container of French fries on his head…with French fries still attached…stood there on the screen. He had light green gloves, a big toolbelt, a light green cape and boots.

"What…the…" Nick remarked.

"So, Arthur T. Spudinski…or should I say…Mega-Spud-Man?" A man with a large ray gun dressed in typical villainous attire, surrounded by minions, had a lovely blond girl in his arms and was pointing the gun at her. Interestingly enough, the "Big Boss" had a square head.

"You've come for the sake of just one girl? How foolish!"

"Quick, Mega-Spud-Man! Run while you can!" The girl shouted.

"Hmph…you really think you can beat me?" Spud remarked, blowing a lock of brown hair to the side. He then took up a heroic pose. "NOBODY threatens my girlfriend and gets away with it!"

"KILL HIM!" The boss shouted.

"Tally-HO!" Mega-Spud-Man yelled, pointing at the sky.

What occurred was like something from a spy film, a superhero action movie and "Napoleon Dynamite". Using funky dance moves, Mega-Spud-Man danced around on the ground, dodging all of the bullets. Chops, who had actually DODGED bullets, could tell this was CGI and rolled his eyes, but Nick was unable to take his eyes off of it.

And of course, while the villains were all firing, they couldn't get a lock on Mega-Spud-Man, and when one of them threw a grenade…

BA-BOOM! UP into the air both the villain and the girl went. She screamed as she plummeted down…down…

THA-WHOMP!

He caught her in his arms, grinning down at her. "Guess you've really…FALLEN for me." He wisecracked.

"Oh I want you so bad…" The girl said happily.

They then proceeded to make out in a beautiful moment that was accompanied by triumphant/moving instrumental music as the credits rolled. Nick had fallen off the bed and was laughing at the top of his lungs.

"Oh, this is the greatest comedy I've ever seen in my life!" He managed to get out.

"It's supposed to be a GRIPPING ACTION FILM!" Morph muttered angrily.

"Look, seriously, why do you need MY help?" Chops said, rolling his eyes.

"…because Spud's gone missing and there's only one hour before his Honolulu concert starts!" Morph said quickly.

"Well, then we'll help you!" Nick said, finally ceasing his giggling fit. "Right, Chops? We have to help your friend?"

"…since when did I become his FRIEND?" Chops thought sadly. "Alright, fine, but I need something of his to smell so I can track his scent."

"No PROBLEM!" Morph said, diving underneath the bed and bringing out a bunch of stuff. "A Spud-signed t-shirt! A signed boot! A signed skateboard! A signed unicycle! And signed underwear!"

"Why…underwear?" Chops asked, quivering slightly.

"You wouldn't believe how popular these are! Especially among the geeky types!" Morpholomew laughed happily.

"I am NOT sniffing that underwear!" Chops howled.

…

…

…

…"I can't believe you made me sniff underwear. I'LL HATE YOU FOREVER!" He screamed at Morpholomew, throttling him.

"No strangling friends." Nick said, picking him up by the scruff of the neck. "Now which way did he go, which way did he go?"

"I smell his scent coming from in THERE." Chops said, pointing inside a candy store.

Going inside the check it out, Nick approached the counter. "Hi, have you seen a brown-haired American with a green cap on his head, wearing a blue t-shirt with an alien head on the front? Goes by the nickname "Spud"?"

"Oh, Spud! That charmer!" The girl behind the counter laughed, walking past several dozen jars of various penny candies. She adjusted her glassed and smiled, flashing braces. "He bought a TON of chocolate candies!"

"Did he say anything about where he was going?" Nick asked as Morpholomew and Chops drooled over the amount of candy in the shop.

"No, but he said he'd take me on a date when he came back!" She said happily. "We're gonna play Strip-Magic: The Gathering!"

A tiny little tic appeared on Nick's head. "R…Right…"

The next stop was a flower shop. Chops and Morpholomew lay on the ground, going "Ahhh" as beautiful scents filled their nostrils.

"So Spud was in here?" Nick asked the frizzy-haired girl.

"Oh yeah." She said, nodding. She had a "Hal Jordan Lives" t-shirt and was wearing a fake Green Lantern ring. "He bought at least a dozen bunches of flowers. And then…" She smiled wistfully. "He asked me for my phone number!"

Another tic appeared on Nick's head. "Oh he DID, huh?..."

The next one was a toy store, interestingly enough.

"Yeah, he bought at least 10 of those toys." The blond girl said. She looked like a very sportsy type, with a ponytail, a white outfit and big arm muscles. "The kids love those "Spud Man Spudmobile RCs". And before he left…"

"What?" Nick asked, afraid of the answer.

She grinned. "He asked me if he could grope my breasts…WOO, what strong hands he had!"

Morpholomew was running around with a remote control, sending an RC car of a little toy spud in a car that looked like a potato rolling around on the ground. Chops chased after him.

"So they sell a lot of these?" He asked Morpholomew. "It's fast for something so small!"

"Maybe your owner should get…"

THA-THUNK!

One kick sent the toy flying. They looked up and saw Nick's eyes a-blaze, and he was practically SNARLING with fangs in his maw as he spoke.

"Morph…_**did Spud say where he was going before he left you!?!**_" Nick growled.

"…er…" Morph rubbed the back of his head. "He said…he didn't want to be late for an important date…"

FIVE MINUTES LATER…

"RAAAAHHHH!" Nick howled as he tore down the streets of Honolulu, Chopsuey BARELY keeping ahead. "WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THAT PERVERT I'LL RIP HIM A NEW NOSTRIL!"

"Now hold on, don't do anything rash!" Morpholomew begged as he trailed slightly behind.

"That perverted book keeper of yours is gonna learn the hard way why it pays to be CHASTE!" Nick snarled.

"THERE!" Chopsuey said, pointing to the right.

"Ah-HA! He's…in…a…hospital?"

They stood before "The Queen's Medical Center", the largest hospital in the city. Nick blinked in confusion, then walked inside with the others.

"Maybe he fell down a flight of stairs while chasing after a skirt." Chops offered. "Or got a bloody nose that was so bad he needs a transfusion!"

They saw a blond nurse walking by, singing softly to herself. "Temperature, temperature, gonna take your temperature, take it there, take it here, in your mouth or in the reaaar!"

"THAT'S why he's here." Nick guessed. "Alright, I'll start at the top floor. You two search from below!"

A few minutes later, Nick would be rewarded for his efforts. He saw the unmistakable figure of Spud talking to a muscular African-American nurse.

"So I was wondering if you could tell me where-" Spud was finishing up.

"**STOP THAT KID!**" Nick yelled, pointing at Spud, making both the nurse and Spud turn their heads at him. "_**He's a nerdy, breast-groping **__**FIEND**__**!**_"

"What? Wait, hold on, I was just asking for directioooooo-"

Meanwhile, Chops and Morph continued to walk the hallways. "I don't see him anywhere, do you?"

"Nope." Morph said sadly.

SPLOOOSH!

They turned their heads and saw Spud land in a duck pond just outside, scaring the inhabitants away. Morpholomew quickly leapt out the window and stood by the duck pond, raising his stubby arm.****** "**Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Spud Maaaan! Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Spud Maaaaan! Spud Maaaan!"

Up he went! "Ha-ha! Great to see you again, little buddy!" Spud said happily as he crawled in through the window with Morph.

"You pervert!" Nick yelled, running after him. "CHOPS, SIC' EM!"

"Wait! It's a misunderstanding!" Spud screamed as he tore down the hallway with Morpholomew by his side and Chops and Nick running after him. "I haven't been groping anybody in the hospital, that's not why I'm here!"

"You did at the store!" Nick yelled.

"Yeah, and to a hot chick!" Spud said dreamily, holding his head against his hands.

"**IADEO-IEDO!**"

BA-BOOOM!

The blast sent him flying…flying…into the bushes. Unfortunately when our protagonists when to check…

"He's gone?" Chops gasped.

"He's buggered off!" Nick muttered. "Show yourself you PERV!"

"He probably snuck back into the hospital." Chops suggested.

And it was true, he had. In fact, when Nick and Chops went back to the top floor…

"There!" Chops said, pointing at a door. Nick approached it, cracking his knuckles…but then stopped when he heard young voices coming from the inside.

"Here you go! My "Spud Mobile"!" Spud said, handing out the RC cars one by one. "And I didn't forget the candy either!"

Nick looked inside and saw Spud going around to sickbed after sickbed, giving out candy and toys to every single one of the sick kids. Nick looked up at the wall across from the door and saw that it was the "Leukemia Wing"…

"…"

"…"

Neither he nor Chops spoke as Morpholomew smiled at them, then walked inside and helped Spud pass out the gifts.

"Flowers for the little lady?" Spud said gently, holding up the biggest bunch of flowers he'd bought.

"Thank you…" The girl whispered happily, coughing slightly.

"Thank you, Marie! You wrote this beautiful letter inviting me here!" Spud said, pulling out a letter from his pocket. "I'd never miss such an important date!"

"Thank you, Mr. Spudinski!" She said quietly, nervously blushing.

"Please, call me Spud." Spud said gently, rubbing her head. "Now, how about a song?" He offered.

"Alright!" Morph said happily. "Everyone…all together now!"

Spud took a deep breath, then began to sing softly.

_**Sunny days and starry nights…and lazy afternoons!  
You're countin' castles in the clouds, and hummin' little tunes!  
Then somehow, right before your eyes, the summer fades away…  
Everything is different…and everything has changed!**_

_**But if you feel lost…and on your own...and far from home  
You're never alone, you know!  
Just think of your friends…the ones who care!  
They all will be waaaiting theeere!  
With love to share…  
and your heeaaart will lead you home**__**!**_

Nick walked down the hallway with Chops right next to him. Suddenly he heard Spud call out.

"Hey…"

Nick looked up and turned around. Spud had walked to the door and turned to look at him.

"Don't you want to stick around for the concert?"

"Nah…we just saw a great concert." Nick said happily, turning away. He took a few steps forward, then stopped.

"…hey Spud…" He spoke quietly.

"Yes?" Spud asked.

"…I hope we meet again…please stay alright in this fight." Nick requested.

Spud smiled as Morpholomew leapt onto his shoulder. "Don't worry." He proclaimed happily. "I've got Morpholomew to look after…and besides, _I'm the Invincible Spud Man_!"

"Yeah, but if you don't hurry, you'll miss the concert in the city!"

"Oh relax! If they're TRUE fans, they won't mind waiting another half an hour!" Spud laughed.

**Author's Note:**

**This chapter made me feel warm and fuzzy as I wrote it. I hope you enjoyed it too!**

**Now for a preview!**

**Nick: Alright, fine, I took the stupid Hawaiian Academic Placement Test! Now I'm enrolled in the public school system!**

**Chops: It's not THAT bad, is it? Your classmates seem nice!**

**Nick: Yeah, that girl especially, but the TEACHER is a racist fiend!**

**Chops: You think YOU'VE got it tough? Mr. Taro needs to find his son! He's getting married any day now!**

**Taro: Please help me find Kiyo! I HAVE to see him and his wife-to-be!**

**Chops: A heartwarming reunion! A new bond forged! All on the next "Alternate Fate, Fantasy!"**


	12. The Worst Teacher, the Best Father

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

**教師の最悪の並べ替え！父の最良の並べ替え！**

**The Worst Kind of Teacher! The Best Kind of Father!**

(Nick, Chops, Dr. Rupert, Page, Yuuku, and Crystallene all sit together on a beach, watching the clouds pass by overhead.)

_**Ikutsu nooo…kanashimi woo! Issho niii koeta darou!**_

_**Ki ga sumuuu…made motometa! Anooo hi no…boku-ra ga ita!**_

(Nick looks up, sighing as the clouds transform into foes he'd beaten before. He frowns…and then he smiles as he sees a shape coming down from the sky...)

_**Jidaiii ga meguru nara …mata dokooo…kade aeru de!**_

_**Sono toooki ga kuru made…akiiiiramenaiii!**_

(Heartwing lands on him, licking his face after he's dispelled the clouds. Other people approach the beach from the side, Carmen, Jenny, Spud, Morpholomew, Kim and Trainer all wave as they come up to the others, who stand up.)

_**Sametekuuu! Omoi waaa!**_

_**Doushite…mo iya menai kedo!**_

_**Koi ni …ochite kawatteku no mo ii neee! (Come Along Together)**_

(Nick and Chopsuey look at each other as the wind blows their hair back slightly. They then nod and look out over the sea)

_**Aserazuuu! Sawagazuuuu!**_

_**Aru ga mama de to nagau kara!**_

(Chops suddenly blushes as Carmen stands by him, and then blushes further when Crystallene does as well.)

_**Kokorooo…ni hana wooo…**_

(Nick laughs slightly as he looks up, and the camera zooms in, looking into the blue sky.)

_**Sakasouj…just take my heaaart!**_

**_..._**

**_..._**

**_..._**

...Lilo Pelekai sighed and brushed her hair to the side slightly. Her black hair fell down around her back as she adjusted, for the thousandth time it seemed, her red t-shirt with a white floral pattern. Another boring school day…

"Class, I want you all to meet your new classmate."

Or NOT!

Some people celebrated their entrance into teenhood with cake. Or presents. Thanks to the state and his latest placement scores, he was settling it with entrance into the Kokaua Town Public School system. His half-tortured expression made it plain that he was very nervous about being here.

"…uh…hello…everyone." He said. "_Aloha kakahiaka_." He said, which meant "good morning". " 'O Nick Grey ko`u inoa, no Niihau mai au." He spoke. "Though I come to Kauai all the time to get away."

_"Especially from annoying book keepers who wanna jump my bones." _He added in his head.

"_Ooh, from the "Forbidden Island", huh?" _Lilo thought. _"He might be an interesting classmate. I wonder why he's in OUR class though? What kind of score did he get on the academic placement test?" _

The Hawaiian Academic Placement Test was the bane of many a student. It would define not only where you were placed in the public school system, but also determined where you best belonged in COLLEGE too because you were tested at the end of every year. Once you reached Sophomore year, you'd be called to the counselor's office and told "based on your HAPT scores, we've decided that a career in blah-blah-blah is best suited for you, and this college has a curriculum centered around blah-blah-blah…"

It sucked. And so said the testimonials!

"I was sick for three days straight!"

"I'll never take it again!"

"Make the hurting stop!!!"

Lilo's mind drifted back to the boy in front of her…yes, he had taken the seat before her and was facing the teacher. "Now what's the answer to this question?" The teacher asked, putting the question up on the board. "Stand up and answer it."

Oh no. Mr. Honikouule was famous for making kids stand up and embarrass themselves in class by forcing them to do a problem on the board. The kid looked around at the other kids who were awaiting his imminent social demise…he would be sure to fail.

"…sigh." The kid stood up. "The Declaration of the Rights of Man" wasn't taken to apply to all men, regardless of color or religion. Jewish Frenchmen couldn't become citizens with full rights unless they renounced their privileges as a separate group, to give up being a Jew in exchange for being a Frenchman. Blacks in the French Colonies weren't freed until 1794 and the government didn't enforce the law that allowed their freedom, and men without property were trapped in "passive citizenship", which kept them from gaining full equal rights until the year 1792, and women lost not only the brief rights they'd enjoyed in the revolution, but couldn't engage in any sort of organized politics."

Everyone blinked in amazement. The teacher frowned angrily. "Grr…that's…correct…" He muttered. "You may…sit down."

With that, the kid sat back down and took out a book from his backpack, going through it. Lilo however, didn't notice the book so much as she noticed the BOY…

"He did all that?! Woah, he's smart…" She thought to herself. "I'm gonna have to keep an eye on him…"

"Class, for tonight your home work is a take-home quiz. You must be sure to use all the notes you wrote down. And remember, this isn't a math class, the answers won't be in the BACK of the textbook!"

The kid in front of her frowned slightly. Now he'd have to CRAM and look up the test answers from the textbook and memorize over and over…

…

…

…

…well, he'd crammed. And he'd done the take-home quiz. Two days later, he got it back…

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm passing out your quizzes…" Mr. Honikouule announced to them all. He went by seat after seat, announcing the names of the people he was passing the quizzes out to to everyone. "Myrtle…Yuki…Teresa…Elena…Victoria…Lilo…"

"_Hmm. I wonder what I got_." Nick thought. _"It wasn't that bad, but to be honest there was one question I didn't do so well on."_ He mused. "Oh well, it's only one question." He said quietly.

"Kekoa…'Ihilani…Enrico…Nick…"

FWIP.

"_WH-WH-WHAAAAA?!?!?"_ Nick gasped in his head. _"__**70!?!?!**__"_

Even though the last question hadn't been covered in the textbook, he had thought that just one answer wrong wasn't a big deal! But the teacher had counted it as…

He took out his calculator and did some math…

"**THAT MANY POINTS?!?"** He shouted. **"WHAT THE EICH-EE-DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICKS!?!" **He hollered.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" The teacher laughed. "So there, Mr. History genius, now do you understand the importance of class attendance and getting information from your fellow students?"He remarked. "Learning stems from an inquiring mind! A heart that yearns for knowledge gives birth to a will to learn! Now matter how smart you may be, if you think that you can learn everything my class will teach you just by looking through the textbook, you're dead wrong!"

"What the heck!? But you didn't say that anything you'd taught IN CLASS would be on the test! You said "all your notes" and talked about the textbook, you didn't mention anything else!" Nick said. "If I had known you were going to put material on the quiz that didn't come from the textbook, I would have searched for the material myself!" Nick protested, placing his hand on his chest.

"HA! You assumed!" The teacher laughed. "Furthermore, within this week I'll give you all a test that will see if all of my class has learned what I've been teaching in class!"

"But I don't KNOW what you've been teaching in class!" Nick yelled. "Why would you do THAT?!"

The teacher blinked. Then he spoke.

"You hoʻohaole." He remarked, which meant to "act like a white man", or "act superior". "It's annoying."

"So THAT'S your true nature!" Nick yelled, pointing with an accusatory finger. "YOU'RE THE WORST KIND OF TEACHER!" He snarled.

Everyone gasped as the teacher's nostrils flared. "You…you punk! Is that any way to treat your superior?!?" He snarled. "Alright smart guy, here's how it's going to be! You weren't here in school two weeks ago because you were taking the placement test…so I'm going to put what we discussed in class during that week on a test TOMORROW! Now…" He grinned and folded his arms, holding his head up slightly. "If you apologize and say "I'm sorry teacher, you're a better human being than I", I might reconsider-"

"_**WAWAU!**_" Nick snarled. "He kâkalaioa!" Which roughly translated into "eff you, you thorny old plant", aka "b-i-t-c-h"! "I'm not apologizing for being WHITE!" He added.

The teacher left the room, laughing all the way while Nick clenched his fist tightly. "That sonofagun, that sonofagun!" He said angrily, fist shaking madly.

"Hey…"

Nick turned his head to look at Victoria. "Don't apologize to THAT kind of teacher!" She insisted.

"Yeah, we'll let you use OUR notes!" Lilo added, nodding her head.

"I just wanna see you blow the teacher a new one." Myrtle said. "He picks on ME all the time too..but it'll cost you five bucks." She agreed.

"Yeaaah!" Her posse said, pitching in.

Nick beamed. "All right! I don't care if I have to go **broke**, I'll show that teacher what for!"

THE NEXT DAY…

"All right, Nick!" Nick said as he sat down at his desk, pencils at the ready. "You stayed up half the night with their notes, but you WILL ace this test! Hit me with your best shot, jerk! FIRE AWAY!"

The teacher passed around the tests. Nick looked it over, noticing one big discrepancy…there was one question that was worth 50 points…

"What was the name of my first love?"

"WHAAAA!?!" Nick shouted.

_"Take THAT, haole!"_ The teacher thought to himself. _"This is a problem the entire class can't do!"_ He covered his upper head, laughing madly. "Hu-hu-hu…ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaaa!"

Then he noticed that the entire class was glaring at him, a venomous aura arising from them.

"**HOW THE HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO A PROBLEM LIKE THIS!?!**" They all shouted at him.

The test was thrown out…naturally.

…and it wasn't the only thing! :) It's unknown if the door hit his ass on the way out, but…

…

…

…

…Chopsuey lay on his back, a single blade of grass in his mouth as he looked up at the clouds.

He kept thinking about the fight with Ace. He wanted to become stronger…strong enough not merely to impress his father and make him worthy of love, but…to protect this partner.

…Nick…you sure are a crazy loon, he thought. Yet I couldn't have asked for a more kind-hearted caretaker…

He suddenly felt thuds. Big thuds, coming his way. Who on Earth?

Looking up, he rubbed his eyes and saw an ENORMOUS man approach him. He had very shaggy hair that was tied up slightly into a ponytail and a Hawaiian t-shirt that was splitting at the seams due to his large size. He looked down at Chopsuey, covered in sweat.

"Excuse me…" He asked. "What a cute little dog you are! Even though you're green."

"Uh…I'm a SPECIAL dog!" Chops said quickly. "I can talk too! I'm magical."

"Ooh, interesting! Are you a "Shiisa"?"

"Shiisa?" Chopsuey blinked.

"A guardian spirit that's a cross between a lion and a dog!...although you kind of look more like an oni, a kind of troll or ogre."

Chopsuey slapped his face. "I'm not a bad person if that's what you're wondering. It's my job to look after a certain kid who controls my magic…" He said.

"A guardian? Sounds like a shiisa to me!" The man said. "I'm Taro." He said happily, reaching down and shaking the "shiisa's" hand. "My son Kiyo is here in the city and he sent me a letter saying that he's getting married to a girl named Mizune. So…"

"So you want to meet her, okay!" Chopsuey said, walking along with Taro into town. "Let's head to the police station and get ask for her help."

UNFORTUNATELY…

"Sorry, but if we only know her first name, we can't help you." Officer Kiule said sadly.

"…uh…thank you…anyway." Taro moaned, leaving the station to approach Chopsuey, who was outside the station.

"I heard it all. Sorry." Chops said. "I think I might…wait…your body…"

He took a deep sniff. "That's not SWEAT…that's sea water!" He gasped. "You…you SWAM to Kokaua Town?"

"I got thrown off a boat." Taro admitted. "I snuck aboard because I've got no money and when they found me…well, I got a pink belly from the impact too!"

"Yet you swam all the way here…" Chopsuey said softly, looking the gigantic man over.

"She is…my only son's…bride…" The man said quietly.

Chopsuey crossed his arms, looking intently at the man. Then he smiled. "Tell me, do you know where your son lives?"

…

…

…

…they'd arrived at an apartment and Chops was now rummaging through the room, looking for something that was out of place…and he was quickly rewarded!

"Ah-ha!" Chops held up a bikini. "WOAH it's big…anyhow…" He sniffed it. "I can track her scent from this!" He took a few more deep sniffs. "Yep, this smell is far different from the others around here. The perfume's quite nice. I can DEFINITELY track her scent now!"

They walked back into town, down the sidewalk as Taro talked to Chops. "You see, my son's always lived on his own, and I think it's helped him become a man. But now he's finally found a bride…it means he's let somebody into his life that will make him happy forever, and I want to see that person who made someone so guarded up so…so happy."

A warm feeling entered Chopsuey. He smiled gently. "I…I think I know what you mean." He admitted quietly. They soon reached another block. "Say, what kind of girl do you think Mizune is?"

"Well, if she's a flashy, dyed-hair kind…the kind who looks like she's no good for my son…I think I'm gonna beat her to a pulp." The man said nonchalantly.

Chopsuey kind of vomited a little in his mouth. Taro laughed heartily at this. "Relax, relax! It's a joke! There's no reason I would do that."

"Uh…okay…" Chopsuey smelled the air again. "Hey…I smell her, she's REALLY close!" He turned his head. "THERE!"

They looked down the street and saw…

Hair cut short…school girl outfit…big necklace and bright pink lipstick.

Ooooh boy.

WOOOOOSH! Though it seemed impossible, the man was off like a bullet down the street! Gasping, Chopsuey ran after him. "WAIT!" He shouted.

The man finally came to a quick stop in front of the girl, holding up a big fist. "You're Mizune, right? You might know my son, Kiyo…"

"Uh…yes…" She squeaked out in fear.

"Here…"

"WAIT! DON'T HURT-" Chopsuey began, raising a hand up as he raced towards Taro and Mizune.

He opened up his fist to reveal a ring box…with a diamond ring shining brightly. "This is the ring I had when I married his mother, rest her soul." Taro said quietly. "It's a little old…but the stone is good. My son said he was still looking for a ring, so…please accept this." He offered gently.

"Th…thank you, sir!" Mizune said happily, taking the ring box and then hugging Taro tightly.

"…" Chopsuey looked at the scene, a small smile appearing on his features. _"I took that joke seriously…why couldn't I see that all he wanted was his son's happiness? This father…so desperate for his son's happiness…such a wonderful thing."_ He thought. _"I wonder…"_

He felt tears pour down his cheeks even as a beautiful smile grew wide on his face. _"Could my own father be as this one?"_ He thought.

…

…

…

…even when they're not fighting, they're learning and growing. That is the nature of a hero.

That is their nature.

That is their choice.

And in time, they will be rewarded.

**Author's Note:**

**I really like playing up how Chops wants his father's love and approval. Don't forget to review! Also, enjoy this preview!**

**Dr. Rupert: Ah, it will be a bright day today!**

**Page: Today's the day you chaperone for the field trip to Volcanoes National Park, right?**

**Dr. Rupert: It will be nice to see Nick again! I just hope they don't ask me to do anything TOO outrageous...**

**Page: Like making dinner for everyone?**

**Dr. Rupert: Exac-AAA! Oh no, OH NO!**

**???: That fool has NO idea what we've in store for him...**

**???: This...will be fun...and YOU might find it fun too, on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	13. Kill the Rabbit!

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

**か、ウサギを殺す！一、整体モンスターと戦う！**

**Kill the Rabbit! A Fight Against A Manipulative Monster!**

…

…

…

…?

Dr. Rupert calmly opened his eyes and was greeted by the big, pond-surface gaze of the kind-hearted Page, who smiled at him in an expression of pure love.

"Bonjour, Doctor Rupert!" He said happily.

"Ah, you have been practicing your French!" Dr. Rupert said, rubbing his little red eyes as he jumped out of bed. "So what else have you learned, dear Page?"

"Bonjour Yuuku, Bonjour Crystallene, Bonjour Nick, Bonjour Chopsuey…" Page listed, checking them off as he held his fingers up.

"…never mind." Dr. Rupert remarked. "You seem in extra bright spirits today. What's the occasion?"

"Don't you remember, doctor?" Page asked, holding up the letter. "Today's the day we chaperone that big camping trip for Kokaua Town's Middle School!" He said, holding up the letter that had been sent to Dr. Rupert. "We're going to be going to the island of Hawaii to Volcanoes National Park!"

Dr. Rupert nodded. "I know, I know, but relax! As it is said, que sera, sera."

"Eh?" Page tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"I already packed ahead!" Dr. Rupert said, going over the closet and opening it up to reveal a tightly-stuffed duffel bag. He held it up. "See! Shampoo, conditioner, soap, towel, medicine kit, fire-starting supplies, pair of clothes and more." He smiled. "There's no way possible I'll be unprepared for this trip." He told Page. "What about you?"

Page blinked. "…uh…well…I kind of…"

He hung his head, covering his eyes. "I don't have anythiiiing!" He moaned. "All I've got is my book!"

"Relax, Page!" Dr. Rupert said, rubbing his partner's head. "I thought ahead…since I am Dr. Rupert, the amazing doctor who knows absolutely everything…I read your mind and knew exactly what your predicament was!"

Page looked up. "Really?"

Dr. Rupert grinned cheekily. "Nope. Lie."

"GAAAAWWWW!"

"Truth is…" He held up a light green duffel bag. "I had a feeling you'd not know what to bring, so I packed your favorite books, some toiletries for you, candy, and of course…"

He held it up. "Your lucky "Little Jesus" figurine."

Page held the little Jesus in his hand and rubbed it against his cheek. "I wub you, Little Jesus."

"He wubs you too." Dr. Rupert said, smiling gently. "Now come on, let's head to the bus stop!"

…

…

…

…Dr. Rupert took a long yawn, then returned to reading the book in his paws as he rode the bus. It was "Mere Christianity", by the author C.S Lewis, who had also done the "Narnia" series. Dr Rupert was quite intrigued with "apologists" or "defenders" of the Christian faith. He liked to see all sides of the argument.

Page was curled up in a ball next to him, his head resting on his duffel bag, holding onto "Little Jesus" in his paws as his chest went up and down, up and down.

Dr. Rupert smiled and stroked his partner's cheek. Sweet Page, he thought...how beautiful you are. A kind and gentle soul…I'm glad I have you for a partner. You make me feel so…so loved.

Eventually the bus came to a stop. Gently tapping him, Dr. Rupert woke Page up and he and Dr. Rupert walked out of the bus.

"Hello, boys and girls!" He announced to the class. The first person he noticed was a Hawaiian girl with long black hair who looked very cute. "I'm Dr. Rupert! The fantastic doctor who knows everything, and I am going to be chaperone for group A." He announced.

"You're…a gerbil." A red-haired, glasses-wearing girl announced.

"HAAAAMMMSTEEEERRRR!!!" He cried out, eyes bulging wide. Everyone all leapt up three feet in shock.

Settling down, Dr. Rupert dusted his jacket off and looked at the group of people around him. "And don't look so shocked. Isn't your new mascot a cat? So what's so hard to swallow about a teacher being a hamster?"

"The logic's **undeniable**." Everyone agreed.

It was true about the mascot…the new school mascot was Principal Hunter's Persian cat. She always had it in her lap or, currently, hanging on her shoulder. The cat was VERY pretty, with a fine sheen of fur and cute little whiskers.

Walking over, the Filipino-Descended principal handed Dr. Rupert a snazzy metal clipboard, which he looked over as she walked off.

"Let's see who's in my group…Lilo Pelekai, Victoria Alyson Chase, Myrtle Edmonds, Ni-OH!"

He looked up and saw Nick waving lightly. "Nick? Dear boy, how good to see you again!"

"What's up, doc?" Nick wisecracked. Dr. Rupert just smiled.

"In any case, let's get going…the national park awaits!" Dr. Rupert said.

SOON…

They arrived at the main camping site and all of the groups stood together. Page was playing around with little Jesus, making him fly through the air. "Woohoo! Weeee! Here he comes to save our siiiiins!"

"Awww, he's so cute." Lilo thought.

"By the way, I've heard wonderful things about you." Victoria said to Dr. Rupert as he was unpacking his things near their tent.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes, Nick says you're an amazing cook! You were our first choice for making curry!"

All of time froze in that single moment.

"…r-really?" He asked quietly.

Suddenly he was keenly aware that all of the camp was crowding around him. "Give us all you've got!" "We're counting on you!" "HUNGRY!" "FOOD!"

"Uh…uh…UH…" He stuttered, eyes wide with fear.

_"Wh-what are they talking about? I…I can barely manage frozen waffles!"_ He thought to himself, his body all aquiver with terror. _"Ever since Junior died, I had people deliver food to my door…and half of the meals me and Page eat are OUT…"_

"Dr. Rupert's gonna make curry? Perfect!" Nick said.

"WHAT?! How can you say I'm any sort of cook, I've never even made you a single croissant!" He yelled, pointing at the kid.

"Well you always say you know everything…I just assumed you knew how to cook…and besides, you're fat too, and you know what they say about people who live at home all the time and who are fat…" Nick reasoned, shrugging slightly.

"ARRRGGHHH!" Dr. Rupert moaned, covering his eyes. "I only brought a single kitchen knife! _This can't get any worse!_"

"When he's serious, the doctor can make curry that'll make the angels sing!" Page said, punching the air. Everyone cheered happily and threw the little angelic creature up and down, up and down.

"Betrayed before the cock creeeeewwwww!" Dr. Rupert sobbed, turning away slightly.

"And the teachers want to taste it too." Nick said, jabbing a thumb behind him.

"**We're so hungry!"** They all said.

"I've heard you make curry tastier than ME!" Principal Hunter remarked, twirling a lock of her flowing dark brown hair.

"OHHH NOOOO!!!" Dr. Rupert sobbed.

"Come on, let's take a look at the ingredients that the school brought." Page said, gesturing over to a big table.

"Let's see…fruits, veggies, meats, spices…" Dr. Rupert looked the ingredients over. _"What am I going to do?!" _He thought. He sighed…

Then he remembered something. Jumping into his duffel bag, he rummaged through it and found it. "I'm so glad I always reuse the same old bag…ha-HA!" He thought, grabbing his prize. There it was…a crumpled up box of a kind of curry! He'd bought it on a trip to Japan he'd taken with Page! The cooking instructions were right there!

Quickly memorizing them, Dr. Rupert leapt back out of the bag and pointed at the sky. "All right, my group! It's time to make curry! Grease the pan, then throw in the meat and vegetables!"

"I'll get the firewood done!" Nick said, holding up an axe.

"But…the delivered wood's already been cut." Dr. Rupert remarked.

"I'll start the fire!" Victoria offered, holding up two sticks.

"…we…have matches…and newspaper…" Dr. Rupert insisted.

"Leaving cutting stuff to me!" Lilo said, holding up and apple and peeling it in one continuous loop.

"_Oh, I'm done for!"_ He thought to himself. "No, relax! Keep it together! Just put in the apples and honey!" He thought out loud.

He grabbed the ingredients and made for the pan filled with meat and sauce, when…

He felt it…the eyes of everyone on his back. He turned around slowly, almost creakingly.

"That's…the only thing…you're putting in there?!?" Everyone said all at once, their eyes almost aglow with darkness. "Because if it's not, then we could always make a STEW!"

"N-No, of course not!" Dr. Rupert shouted. "JUST DON'T CROWD MEEEE!"

"We're sorry, but we're hungry and it smells so gooood!" They all said in a comforting tone.

"_**I hope to Little Jesus I don't screw this up**_!" Dr. Rupert sobbed into his paws, turning away.

"Dr. Rupert, what should we put into the curry pot?" Page asked.

"ANYTHING!" Dr. Rupert moaned. "Or they'll enjoy a nice rabbit stew for dinner!"

"SALAMI!" Lilo said, holding it up.

"PASTRAMI!" Victoria added.

"WASABI!" Nick cried out.

"CHILI!" Myrtle laughed.

"KIMICHI!" Page finished.

Into the pot they went! Dr. Rupert pointed at the sky. "Through trial and error…**I will bring out the golden flavor!**"

…

…

…

…Unfortunately the only thing he succeeded in "bringing out" was his last week's meals every time he tried a new batch of the curry.

"BLEAAAUUUGUHHH!!!"

"Here, try this!" Page said, holding up an arm filled with flowers. "All natural ingredients! Jesus said to consider the lilies and Solomon studied plants!"

Dr. Rupert put those in. Then he took a sample taste of the curry.

FWOOOP! It was like his whole body turned into a thermometer, only instead of turning red, he turned green. Finally he let out a horrible cry and dove into the nearest river, gulping down all the water he could to get rid of the taste. Naturally…

"NOOO!!!" Page sobbed as the "Little Jesus" figurine was hung over a fire that burnt fiercely, revolving around on the spit it was tied too. "DR. RUPEEERT!, DON'T TORMENT MY LORD AND SAVIOR!"

"Speaking of fire, the curry better be good…or we'll get the fire stoked for bunny legs!" The mob whispered, eyes alight again.

"PREPARE ALL THE SPICES!" Dr. Rupert howled, pointing into the air.

"What spices?" Page asked.

"ANY KIND!" He yelled, bouncing up and down.

"Chili powder!" Lilo said, holding up cans.

"Red chili peppers!" Myrtle and Victoria said, popping them into the pot.

"Chili oil!" Nick and Page laughed, pouring it in.

"Yeah…this could work…" Dr. Rupert thought. "Together, we're making the ultimate curry!"

…

…

…

…"…I dunno, doc…is it _supposed_ to glow **red** like this?" Nick asked as he poked his curry with a spoon. The curry was spread over white rice as everyone sat down at tables.

"Sure!" Dr. Rupert said dismissively, waving a paw in the air. "Now go on! Have a taste!"

"Well…okay!" Nick said. He clapped his hands together, imitating Page.

"Lord we thank you for the food we're about to receive." Page said.

"Itadakimatsu!" Nick laughed, which meant "I humbly and thankfully receive this meal".

"Bon appetite!" Dr. Rupert said happily.

CHOMP!

CHOMP!

CHOMP!

CHOMP!

Everyone tasted the curry.

…five, four, three, two, one!

"HWAAAAA!!!" Lilo howled as her mouth erupted in fire.

"FWWWAAARRGGH!" Nick screamed as his body was blown left and right as he shot off his own "flamethrower".

"OH GOOOOOODDD!" Page sobbed as he held his stomach, rolling on the ground in pain.

The air temperature went up at least twenty degrees by the amount of hot curry expelled from the adults alone. The whole place was alit with flames that could have put the volcanoes to shame!

Dr. Rupert felt sweat drip down his face as he let out a sad, pained gasp.

This…was probably the best outcome he could have hoped for with HIS cooking skills, he thought to himself as Myrtle Edmonds ran by him, flames licking around the edges of her mouth as she tried to hold it in. With curry so HOT…who could think about taste?

Still…they had worked so hard to make it!

…ah well. On the bright side…

Now he knew how NOT to make curry…

… "Ugh…"

Dr. Rupert hung his head as he sat in his tent, a cloud of doom and gloom hanging low over him.

"C'mon doctor, cheer up!" Page insisted. "Principal Hunter says she has an assignment for you that's super important!"

Dr. Rupert rubbed his head. "…alright, fine…if the Principal asks it…"

He headed out the tent, and found Principal Hunter and her cat were there. "Here you go." The principal said, handing him a map. "This is a map of the current area. As you can see HERE…"

She pointed at a point on the map. "That's where our group is going for tomorrow night's excursion. But I want you to investigate it to make sure the place is clean and safe. I'll be along right after you, but I have to prepare my little fuzzy-wuzzy for the trip!" She said, cuddling her cat.

"Uh…of course, milady." Dr. Rupert said, bowing. "I, Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel will HAPPILY do this for you!"

"And I'll come along too!" Page said. "Just so the doctor doesn't get eaten by a bear!"

Taking the map, he and Page walked off with some supplies in the direction they needed to go. The Persian cat on Hunter's shoulder opened up one eye…revealing it to be deep blue.

"Hmph. I should have suspected somebody like Page would team up with a THAT kind of partner. Still, that doctor seems…very intelligent. He'll prove useful prey…" She whispered, licking her lips.

…

…

…

…"I don't get it." Dr. Rupert said, frowning. "According to the map, we should be there!" He muttered, whacking the map with his paw.

"Maybe you misread it." Page said. "…you know…these woods are kind of dark." He mumbled nervously. "I know I'm supposed to walk through the valley and not fear evil, but I DO fear being eaten by a bear!"

"There's no bears in this forest." Dr. Rupert said. "There might be some at the zoo, but there are no-"

His ears perked up. He had heard what sounded like-

THA-WHUDDAAAAA!

"AAAA!!!"

Dr. Rupert gasped in pain as blood filled his mouth. He hit the ground, gasping horribly.

"DOCTOR!" Page screamed, rushing to his side.

"Quick…move me…behind that tree…" Dr. Rupert said, pointing. Page nodded and moved the doctor and himself behind it. "Now look around…do you see any enemy?"

Page looked left, right, up and down. "No…"

"Somebody's casting spells at us from a tall angle…I heard it. Just barely, but I heard it…" Dr. Rupert whispered as he rubbed his sore mouth, spitting out some more blood. "We walked into a trap…Principal Hunter's cat…must be an experiment!"

"My, you sure are keen, aren't you little mouse?" A silky voice crooned.

They looked up and saw a long, cat-like experiment on a tree branch above. She was covered in beautiful, silver fur and had bright blue eyes. Her tail had a heart-shaped tip at the end, and above all…

"She's certainly got huge…tracts of land…" Dr. Rupert remarked.

"Name's "Lotta"." The experiment said in that silky voice. "My "special ability"…heh-heh…is making guys fall head over heels for me…" She blew a kiss at Page with a clawed paw. "And you, choir boy, you're very cute. I'll bet you're a virgin too…"

Page blushed deeply. "Th-that's not the sort of thing I talk about, ma'am!"

"Ha-ha-ha! For some reason you're not DROOLING. You must have a VERY strong will. Makes it more fun! I think you're going to bleed quite a bit, but I'm sure you'll really enjoy the sin. They all do once I get started…" She said nonchalantly. "Though unfortunately for you, your book owner will become a nice little meal for me." She licked her lips in a sexy fashion.

"Wh-WHAT?!?" Rupert gasped.

"You're not the first, if it's any consolation. You'd be surprised how many book owners wouldn't accept mercy sex from me. Too bad, they would have lived…" She remarked. "But I'll wait until you're weakened…" She grinned. "Then pick you off!"

"I'd NEVER let you hurt the doctor!" Page howled, shaking his fist at the cat. "_**Get thee behind me, temptress!**_"

"**VOTIUM!**" Dr. Rupert yelled.

Page spread his arms and fired off his cross blast, but Lotta smirked and just leapt through the trees. Quickly our protagonists chased after her as they fired more and more blasts at her, though she continued to avoid all of the shots.

"Oh c'mon, if you wanna NAIL me that badly, I'd me more than happy to-" She laughed.

"SHUT UP!" Dr. Rupert howled. "You annoying little cat! I'm going to SKIN YOU! And turn you into an extra soft blanket! And when my social worker asks "Ooh, this feels nice, what's it made of?", I'M GONNA SAY-wait!" He stopped in mid-run. "Page, hold on!"

The cat continued to leap away. Dr. Rupert turned to Page. "This is a trick…they're trying to wear us down…to get us to use up all our heart power!"

"_Smart_…"

Principal Hunter had planted a small "bug" on the map, and Dr. Rupert was still carrying it. She smirked as she put the headphones away and sat down in her car with some wine, watching as her "fuzzy-wuzzy" approached. "He figured it out. He's being weakened heavily by wasting all his spells…they've got no food, they've got no water, and nobody else knows where they went."

She took a sip of the champagne and laughed. "They're screwed." She remarked coldly.

Lotta calmly made her way over to Principal Hunter and grabbed her own cup in her paws, taking a long sip. "Ahhh…" She remarked happily. "It won't be long before we'll be eating rabbit stew…" She smirked. "Ooh, he'll taste so good…BOTH of them…" She licked her lips in anticipation.

MEANWHILE…

"Alright…you know the plan?" Dr. Rupert asked Page, who nodded. "Then let's do it. **VOTIUS!**"

FA-BOOM!

The principal and her partner looked up. "What?!?"

Running to the cliff edge, Lotta peered down. "There's smoke everywhere…we'll have to investigate!"

Climbing down with her partner on her back, they checked the area. There was no sign of Dr. Rupert or his partner…

HOWEVER…

"He left his jacket in a tree?" Principal Hunter remarked as Lotta climbed up to get it. "How odd."

The minute Lotta bit into it she instantly regretted it. "PFOUAGH!" She spat it right out. "That's disgusting! There's some icky berry juice all over it!"

"GINGKO berries, leftovers from last night's cooking that I stashed in my pocket for energy! **VOTIUM!**"

THA-WHOOOOM!

Lotta went flying into the air, as Dr. Rupert and Page emerged from the ground. Page grinned happily. "Jesus emerged from a stone tomb, we emerge from stone as well! You know what they say…we've learned from the best!"

They looked and saw Lotta stagger back up, her silver fur turning back to normal.

"They broke my "Argent" spell." She complained. "And I think I hurt my wrist!"

"You're still a scurrying mouse to us!" Principal Hunter remarked coldly. "This spell will transform Lotta into an invisible being! You ain't got a prayer…**MERCURE!**"

Lotta smirked as her fur transformed into a strange color…soon the light was reflecting off of her, making her basically invisible. It was like she was part of the scenery and nothing more. Confidently, she strolled around Page and Dr. Rupert, a gleam in her eye. OOH she would enjoy this…

Page whipped around and rushed forward, grabbing her by the head! He then hurled her through the air and, leaping up using his wings, he KICKED her hard onto the ground.

"AAA!" She cried as she hit the ground. "What the? But I'm invisible, aren't I?"

"I can't see you!" Principal Hunter insisted.

"HERE, KITTY, KITTY, KITTY!" Page hollered angrily, chasing right after the "invisible" cat, who ran around and around, desperately trying to avoid him.

"How can he find you? Unless…wait…" Principal Hunter's eyes widened. Lotta had tasted those clothes mashed in gingko nuts…she smelled so strongly of the berry juice that Page was able to track her!

"Ooh…how dare you…" Principal Hunter snarled as Lotta took up a fighting pose by her side.

"You should have taken the mercy sex!" Lotta whispered harshly. "Your life would have been spared!"

"I'm giving you a chance to leave peacefully." Page said softly.

"Don't underestimate a cornered mouse!" Dr. Rupert growled. "We're not like rats who are caught in a trap!"

"You think you can beat US?!" Lotta threw back her head and laughed, her voice no longer beautiful. "That's hilarious!"

"Now taste our strongest spell! **PEAU-FOURRURE!**"

Lotta rushed forward, her entire body being covered in shining metal as her claws and fangs grew larger. Even her breasts became covered in spiked armor, and her tail tip turned from a hear to a scythe.

"Fine. Time to show you the end result of what happens when YOUR following of the "Golden Rule" is revealed!" Dr. Rupert yelled. "You want to treat us that way, then FINE, two can play that game! **VESPERAAA!**"

Page clenched his fist and jumped into the air. They glowed and two swirling blasts of light rushed out…

THA-WHAM! One hit Lotta!

THA-WHAM! One hit the principal!

THAWOOOOSH! Both went flying through the air, far off into the forest…

…

…

…

...needless to say, Dr. Rupert agreed not to burn their book if they promised to DOUBLE the money that he'd receive for chaperoning. Page had been reluctant to do this, saying that "to OBEY is better than to sacrifice" and that, on principle, they should punish the principal for her cruelty. But Dr. Rupert told Page that draining her of 8,000 dollars, knocking her through trees and forcing her to walk back to the school group wearing torn-up clothes that showed off her unusual choice of lingerie was punishment enough. Yes, WALK. Page and Dr. Rupert took the principal's car back.

Sadly, the principal had torn up her very best outfit, and did a "walk of shame" back to her tent along with her kitty while the whole school laughed at the sight of her mauve bra which had "sexy thing" painted on it in bright blue letters. This, along with her mascara running down her cheeks and her hair being frizzled, made the principal look more like a **clown** than a hunter.

So it seemed like a decent punishment. But just to make Page feel better, he donated the extra money he received to a nearby church so they could afford some repairs of their roof.

The preacher was very thankful. So thankful he invited Dr. Rupert to dinner.

…which turned out to be curry. ;)

**Preview time! And don't forget to review!**

**Pleakley: Fighting isn't my thing...me and Link just want to travel around this FABULOUS world!**

**Nick: Really? Wow, you seem...different...than the others. Could Link become a kind champion too?**

**Jenny: Why won't the hospital treat my parents? They lost everything so people like that nurse could reap the benefits!**

**Carmen:_...people like them?...does that mean people like ME?..._**

**Haley: Well, well, what have we here? A tutti-fruitti lady? **

**Nightwing: Two tales of drama unfold on the next "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"!**


	14. A Tale From Two Cities!

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

**2****つの都市からテイルズ！プリンセスと****Pleakley ****！**

**A Tale from Two Cities! The Princess and the Pleakley!**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Ahh…" He patted his partner on the head happily as he looked up at the clouds, smiling. "It's so beautiful." He thought. "Look at how fast the clouds move…so smooth and sleek. If only we could fly among them…too bad we're not born with wings like birds, eh Link?"

"Pa! Pa!" His partner said, clinging to him and hugging him tightly. He was quickly rewarded with a gentle pat upon the head. A few moments later, Link saw a butterfly and began running after it. "Baaaa!" He said happily, waving his hands in the air.

"Wait up, Link!" His partner laughed, chasing after him. "Don't run too fast!"

…

…

…

… "Maaaaan!" Nick groaned as he walked through Kokaua Town, down the sidewalk. "Every time Chops breaks something, I gotta clean it up…and now I have to clean up Heartwing's messes too?!"

The little dragon was temporarily staying in Nick's new house at Kokaua Town and he and Chops had learnt the hard way that you couldn't stick bubble gum into an electric juicer to get "tasty bubble juice". Normally Nick wouldn't have minded walking into town at Niihau to get a new electric juicer, but the thing was, Nick wasn't exactly used to Kokaua Town or it's people yet, and most of all, he kept getting LOST. After all he only hung around certain parts of the town, like the parks or beaches.

"Dang it!" He moaned. "I passed by this mailbox eighteen times before, I'm sure!" He said to himself as he rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Ohhh…"

"Excuse me!"

He opened his eyes and saw a very small kid with blond hair holding up a piece of paper…an advertisement. "I'm looking for a toy store!" He said happily. "I REAAAALLY wanna get the new Razor Scooter!"

Nick smiled. "Well, I do know where THAT is." He admitted. He looked around, then pointed to the far right. "There." He said. "But don't go crossing the street right-"

Off the kid went into the street!

"NOW! Kid, look out!" Nick yelled, turning his head to see a car coming right at the kid!

"HEY! KID! LOOK OOOUUUT!" Nick screamed, rushing forward. But then…

"**LIAISON!**"

THA-WHISHA!

The car was quickly held up in the air by a strange, sticky substance. Nick gasped as he followed the sticky wire-like sap back to the source…

A alien-looking rabbit with big red eyes, a yellow body and fairly long antennae was there, the sap coming out of the antennae. It had a big smile on its face, though the smile was nothing compared to the warmth coming from its book owner: a cycloptic, thin being wearing light, baggy pants, no shirt and a tool belt. It had three legs, thin arms with three long fingers, and a single antenna on top of the head.

"He…saved that kid?" Nick realized out loud.

The rabbit thing placed the car a good distance away from the kid, who slowly got back up and looked at the rabbit and it's owner. The owner smiled, waved, and walked off with the rabbit following it. Nick saw the bright yellow book the book owner had and his eyes went wide.

"He's a book owner…" Nick realized. "And a good-hearted one too…maybe we'll meet again!"

…

…

…

…Nick headed back home…or he was HEADING back when he decided to pass through the park and take the scenic route, a new juicer in his backpack. He had his book in his backpack as well, but he ALWAYS carried that with him.

And as he walked through the park, he heard a song being played.

**SFX: The Market Theme from LOZ: OOT**

"Huh?" He perked his head up. "I LOVE this song!" He said happily. "Da, da, da-da-da-da! Da ,da, da-da-da-da! Da, da, da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da, da!"

He headed towards the sound of the music and saw the alien was sitting in the park with his experiment partner, surrounded by kids as he played on a flute.

"Ooooh! Can you play "Kawaita Sakebi"?" One of them asked.

"Dummy, he wouldn't know that song!" Another said.

"Oh really?" The alien remarked. "Does it go…like this?"

"Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm! Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmmm! Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm, ha-hmm-hmm-ha-hmm, ha-ha-hmmm!"

"This guy's GOOOD!" Nick realized to himself as he crept closer and took a closer peek at the cycloptic alien from behind a tree.

"Ooh, that was great! Can you play the harmonica?" One kid asked, handing the alien a harmonica.

"Well I'll sure try! It's my first time, but let's see…" The alien put it to his lips and began to play a mystifyingly beautiful melody.

"Ooh!" Everyone said in awe.

"Try this instrument!"

"This one!"

"This one!"

Nick sighed sadly to himself. This guy seemed really nice. He may be an "enemy by association", but…

He tried walking away before the alien could notice him, but then the alien spoke.

"What color's your book, child?"

Nick stopped.

"Mine's Lemon-colored." The alien said.

Nick turned around, a worried look on his face.

"Sorry kids, I've got to go somewhere now. I hope we meet again!" The cycloptic alien said, apologizing to the children. "Link, come on…"

…

…

…

… "This place is free of people. We can talk freely here, don't you think?" The cycloptic alien spoke, putting down a big blanket onto the park ground.

Nick blinked stupidly.

"Or do you WANT to fight?" The alien asked.

"…well, no, not really." Nick thought out loud, holding onto his own green book.

"Good, because I don't like fighting at all!" The being said, lying on the blanket and looking up at the sky. "I just enjoy travelling freely around this beautiful world I arrived at." He said. "I've got no interest in any contests…unless they involve free cakes, ha-ha-ha!" He laughed.

The yellow rabbit experiment bopped him in the arm. "OW." The cyclops said, rubbing his arm. "Link, stop it! Excuse Link, he tends to get annoyed when I talk about my lack of interest in the contest. Let me introduce myself…I'm Wendy Northcut Pleakley, but just call me Pleakley. In case you're wondering, "Wendy" means "Brave Warrior" in my culture. So who might youd be?" He asked gently.

"I'm Nick. Nick Grey, and Nick means "victory of the people" in MY culture. So you don't care about the fight to determine the champion of all experiments?" Nick asked as he sat down on the blanket with the cyclops.

"Nope!" Pleakley said happily. "You see, I'm on vacation here…I'm FASCINATED by Earth Culture. Take a look!" He took out his took belt and opened up a few of the pouches. Marbles, little toys and shiny rocks popped out. "I've collected many mementos…" He reached over to a small pack and took out a photo album. "And I've been collecting many more memories every place I go to! Hawaii's probably one of the most beautiful places I've been so far…"

He opened up the photo album, showing beautiful pressed flowers that doubled as book marks. "Look, there's me at Volcano National Park, me among a beautiful natural garden, me at the reefs…in a month I'll go visit Australia, actually! I've got all the time and money in the world to relax due to my family's amassed fortune. I met Link here…"

He patted Link on the head as the little rabbit gnawed on a carrot.

"While traveling around Kansas, actually!" He said happily. "Such wide open spaces." He said wistfully. "I've met a lot of book owners who wanted to fight, but Link and I beat them all and just left them hanging from trees…poles…one guy's probably still untying himself from the clothesline we left him on." Pleakley mused. "It's true that 100 experiments were sent here, and that there's less of them now, but I'm not interested in fighting. Link is so cuuuute!" Pleakley laughed, picking his partner up and squeezing him tightly. "He's a great travelling companion! His abilities are useful sometimes, but above all, we just have fun travelling around the world." Pleakley explained as he and Link played patty-cake.

"He's…he's so different from some of the other experiments I've fought against with Chops." Nick realized. "There's such…such a gentle soul within him."

"Have you been fighting?" Pleakley asked, sitting with Link and facing Nick.

"Well, only those that directly attack us." Nick said. "It's corny to say it, but…Chops became a friend that saved me from a dark road…he became my light, I guess…"

Nick rubbed the back of his head. "Heh-heh…ha-ha-ha! But he and I aren't friends because of that reason alone…we've a lot alike! We want to prove to our family and to others that we can make a difference, to make them proud of us. And…" Nick smiled happily as he looked up at the sky. "He wants to become a "good and just" champion. One who will help Jumba understand that there's no need to put experiments through fights like these."

Pleakley's single eye flashed brightly for a moment.

"Anyhow, I wish more of the book wielders were like you. I don't like fighting for stupid reasons. I'd stick around longer, but my partner and his friend accidentally ruined my electric juicer with bubble gum and I gotta get home…"

Nick sat up and waved, then began to walk off.

"Wait…"

Nick stopped, turning around to see fire burning in Pleakley's eye. "You seem to have something special about you…"

The cyclops smiled. "Will you fight me before your experiment is sent back to Jumba's lab?" He asked.

"Wh-WHAT?!" Nick asked, confused.

"There's a quarry at the end of town…let's fight there, nobody else will be involved."

…

…

…

…Nick returned home depressed.

Then it got worse.

"What…on…Earth?" Nick managed to get out from his gaping mouth.

"I'm sorry, Nick…" Chops mumbled. "I tried to fix the juicer…"

The kitchen was TOTALED. There was red and orange juice splattered everywhere, making every wall look like a Jackson Pollock painting. The light bulb was shattered, the table was in two pieces and Heartwing was sobbing in a corner.

"We thought we'd fixed it so we plugged it in. Then when nothing happened we tried to make a fruit smoothie, but…it just went wild!" Chops said sadly. "And when Heartwing tried to hold the top on he broke the table and the light bulb!"

"WAAAA!" Heartwing sobbed.

"…this day CANNOT get any worse." Nick muttered.

…

…

…

…Nick and Chops walked down the street, heading for the quarry. "There's something lurking inside Pleakley." Nick said. "I saw it in his eye."

"So…a Cyclops-Type, huh?" Chops asked. "I know about their race if your description's correct. They're all a little weird, but…they have certain skills…"

"Like what?"

"Hold on a moment, Link!"

Nick turned his head along with Chops and gasped. "That's him!" Nick said, pointing at Pleakley, who had stopped walking along with Link. "That's the-"

CRASH!

A potted plant smashed down a foot away from Link, who gulped.

"That was close!" Pleakley said, rubbing Link's head. "Gotta be more careful, Link!" He laughed. "Now then, don't forget…" He held up a yellow scarf. "We've got to wear a YELLOW outfit, ha-ha-ha!"

"…He…saw it coming?" Nick murmured.

"…hmm…" Chops rubbed his chin. "This fight WILL be interesting."

…

…

…

… "I'm Experiment 621, Chopsuey. You must be 251, Link."

Link nodded.

"And Wendy Northcut Pleakley…that's YOUR name." Chops said, pointing at Pleakley, who was now wearing a yellow scarf.

"Yes." Pleakley said, nodding.

"Look, there's no reason for us to fight." Chops said gently.

"Uh-huh!" Nick insisted. "You said you didn't like fighting before, why change your mind!"

"I just want to, crazy head!" Pleakley laughed. "It's one more battle, what's the big deal?"

"You're flip-flopping!" Nick said, angry. "How can you just decide to-"

"**LIAISON!**" Pleakley announced.

Link's sticky string shot out at the ground, and he TUGGED hard, holding up a large chunk of rock as he spread his arms out, eyes narrowing.

"You want to make Chops a champ, right? Then you would be in big trouble if we burnt your book. Come on! Show me your strength, big boy!" Pleakley laughed.

"YA!" Link yelled, nodding his head and throwing the large boulder.

"**IADEO!!!**" Nick screamed.

Chops swung his fist, and the energy blast knocked the boulder into pieces.

"So your power comes from body-type attacks, huh? Cooooool!" Pleakley said happily. "**Liaison!**"

Link raised another boulder into the air, over him and Pleakley. Frowning, Nick held up his book. "Time to put an end to this "game"! We'd better knock Pleakley out! **IADEO!**"

The fist strike whizzed through the air, knocking the boulder into chunks. "HA! You can't dodge them all! Try another spell, why don't you?"

"WAAA!"

WOOSH-WOOSH-WOOSH-WOOSH!

He ran around, left, right, back and forth, scrambling madly, but…

Not…getting…HIT!

"Nick, he's not just running around randomly! Look, he's moving in deliberate swirls!" Chops shouted.

"And he's…dodged them ALL?" Nick gasped.

No, not all! Pleakley reached up and grabbed one rock that had yet to fall. "Using my own spell against me's preeetty tricky. But I'm a tricky person too. HA!"

He tossed the rock quickly, and it whacked Nick's hand. "YEOW!" Nick yelled, rubbing it as he dropped his book. He turned around and dove for the book along with Chops…

Only to find Link was right in back of it, antennae aimed right at them.

"Listen carefully, human…" Pleakley spoke as Link's red eyes gazed intently at the two. "If you keep holding back…_you're going to lose_."

Well, the day had certainly gotten worse! Nick growled and dived forward, grabbing the book as Link leapt over him and Chopsuey, landing by Pleakley, who folded his arms. "Ready to really get the party going?" He quickly raised his book, shouting out "**LIAISON!**"

Link's sap shot rushed forward, pulling up large chunks of earth and flinging them at Nick and Chops. Chops jumped in front, arms outstretched.

"**ADVERSOR!**" Nick yelled, summoning forth the glowing shield spell.

"Huh? Oh boy! Come on, Link!" Pleakley said, grabbing Link by his arm and quickly tugging him away. Nick gasped as they completely dodged the attack that was rebounded at them.

"But he didn't even SEE the spell before…how could he?..."

"That was close!" Pleakley gasped out. Another stone hit the ground and he covered his head. "WAAA!"

"…this guy's a little bit…off…but he's strong." Chops admitted.

Pleakley dusted himself off, frowning. "Off? I'll admit I'm different, yes…but don't take me lightly! Ohhh no!"

"He's right…we have to spice things up!" Nick said. "CHOPS!"

Chops took up a fighting pose.

"**IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick yelled.

Chops sent a double fist blast blazing through the air. It struck the ground and sent dust flying everywhere. Shielding his eye, Pleakley stepped back…

"HWAAAHHH!"

Nick leapt over the dust cloud, hand outstretched to grab Pleakley's book…

"**LIAISON!**"

Link's sap grabbed Nick and slammed him into the ground.

"Tricky kid! Tricky kid!" Pleakley said, waving a finger in the air. "Going directly for my book!"

"That's not the only thing I've done! **IADEO!**" Nick yelled.

Pleakley jumped through the air, barely dodging a fist blast as Chopsuey had snuck up behind him. He landed by Link and grinned. "A partnership based on trust…you're really something!" He said, clapping his hands. "You've done LOADS better than I had anticipated!...and the more you fight, the more power seems to shine from your book!"

"Thanks…sorry about this! **IADEO IEDO!**" Before Pleakley could stop it, two fists blasts surged through the air and struck Link's cheek. First the left, then the right! He hit the ground, and moaned.

"LINK!" Pleakley shouted, rushing towards him…but Link stood up, gritting his teeth.

"Ha…ha…" He panted as he took up another fighting pose.

"…Link…you…you got hurt…" Pleakley whispered, reaching out and petting Link's head.

"Pa…pa…" Link said, turning his head. "Pa!"

"…" Pleakley nodded. "You're RIGHT!" He stood back up. "We WILL make you a champion!"

Link and Pleakley stood up, punching the air. "A CHAMPION OF FREEDOM!"

"…Freedom?" Nick asked.

"Yes! Link will go back as a champion that will demand that any experiment have the right to choose their path! Whether it's to fight, to stay on Earth, to travel the world…he will become somebody who will for the right to have freedom!"

"Now THAT'S a good king." Chops said happily. "Alright, then! Let's use your strongest spells!"

"You ready for this, Pleakley?" Nick asked. "**KIMAIRA!**"

"BORN ready!" Pleakley laughed. "**CHAÎNON****!**"

Link howled to the sky as his antennae shout out a HUGE web of sap that grabbed enormous chunks of stone, mashing them together into one large superboulder! He flung it through the air with the force of a missile, while Chopsuey spread his arms wide and clenched his fist, howling as his aura beast rose up, slamming it's body into the boulder.

Nick and Pleakley grit their teeth as their bodies strained with the force of both spells taking their toll on the book owners. Who would give?

Who would give?

Who…

**KA-KRA-BOOOOM!  
**

The explosion knocked Nick flat. He rolled around, finally landing on his stomach. "Oh crap!!! Come on, body, move!" He growled.

"Relax!" Pleakley's voice drifted through the air.

Nick looked up and saw Pleakley was flat on his back. "Trying to move? Crazy-head! We're BOTH too wiped! I guess this makes it a draw!"

"…heh…you're right." Chops said. "Let's continue this sometime when we're both stronger!"

"Heh…" Nick chuckled. "Yeah…that might be fun!"

"You know…I'm dead tired…I can't feel a single one of my legs…and I think something's in my eye, and considering the size of it that's SAYING something, but…" Pleakley smiled happily. "I feel GREAT! This is better than Shiatsu!"

…

…

…

…"So you know something about the contest?" Nick asked.

"Yes. Strong spells are called "Dioga" types." Pleakley remarked as they sat on his blanket back in the park, the sun setting gently. "There's a ranking system. Gigano is level four. Dioga is level three. Baberuga spells are level two, and then there's the "Shin" level spells. They're spells of legend when it comes to strength…your Chimera-like spell seems to be a "Baberuga" spell, much like Link's multi-link spell."

"Hmm…I should write this stuff down." Nick thought. "Thanks, Pleakley…" He said, shaking Pleakley's hand.

"You're an amazing opponent…I'm sorry and yet grateful to have fought you." Chops said, clapping his hands.

Pleakley shook hands and turned his head along with Link. "You know what? I'd like it if you could show me around Kokaua Town? A guided tour?"

Link began bounding up and down, clapping his hands. "Ya-ya-ya!"

"…it would be my pleasure!" Nick said happily, rubbing the back of his head. "You know…I wish we could meet more people like you…"

…

…

…

… "I'm not ANGRY!" Jenny yelled. "I'm just…ugh…"

She paced up and down the halls of the hospital. Carmen sat in a chair nearby, looking at her dear friend with a concerned expression on her face while the nurse tried to calm Jenny down.

"Please little girl, we're doing all we can for your parents!" Nurse Simone insisted.

"Like HECK you are, look, I know the score!" She yelled. "My parent's doctor's a friggin' quack, okay?! I've seen the care he gives them before…why can't you switch them to a different doctor?!" Jenny demanded. "They're the only family I've got!"

Carmen immediately shuddered and looked down, closing her eyes.

"Look, if you want, I can write up a recommendation to Dr. Reece that he have them see another doctor…" The nurse began.

"And if he says no?"

"…well…"

Jenny kicked the wall. "FUCK!" She snarled.

"Calm DOWN!" The nurse insisted.

"Look…I'm sorry but I can't help but look at you and get angry." Jenny growled at Nurse Simone.

The nurse stiffened. "OH. Little girl, you really should know better than to think thoughts like that."

"Ma'am, this is not about me. This is about my parents." Jenny said. "My parents lived in the city before we moved to the country and became farmers. They owned a garbage company. They employed Africans, Hispanics, Asians, all minorities, because my father and mother believed in racial equality. I'd go to their employee's houses every other week because they were so grateful to my mom and dad they'd invite them over to dinner and I now have great appreciation for their cuisines. But then the city decided to…" She clenched her fist. "Then the city council decides to give minority-owned companies preference in city contracts. My parents lost their employees in a matter of weeks, and then we had to sell our business and move to the country. So I'm not asking you to get my parents a new doctor for MY sake. It's for THEM, because their only sin was being nice to people like you, Nurse Simone…and they got screwed over for it. Now as that fair?!"

"…no." Nurse Simone said. "…look, I'll see what I can do…"

"Yeah, you do that…" Jenny muttered, walking out of the hospital hallway with Carmen following behind her as they left the place.

"Jenny? Choo okay?"

"No, I'm…I'm NOT." Jenny muttered. "The only family I have is in that hospital and because that…that stupid NURSE won't do anything…"

They walked over to the park and sat down on a bench. "Carmen, I don't understand why they can't show compassion to people like my parents. People like Mom and Dad lost everything just so others could get a foothold in the world. I just get so angry sometimes…I find myself getting angry at races like hers."

Carmen felt a terrible chill enter her. She looked away.

"You wouldn't understand, you're not human…" Jenny mumbled as she wrapped her feet around her legs, putting her bag down. "You don't really have a "family"…"

She turned to the right…

Carmen was gone.

"Carmen?" Jenny called out. "Carmen, wait, I-"

"Hello…"

Jenny's head shot up in surprise. She looked to left and saw two people standing there…or rather, a girl and dragon. This book keeper was a preteen girl with black hair that had been spiked up, wearing a punkish pink t-shirt and black jeans, with a pearl necklace, bracelets and earrings. She'd even died the top of her hair pink! She had deep, piercing eyes as well.

The dragon had scales black as night, with eyes to match, and a golden crest of spikes running down from the top of his head. He had a white moon insignia on his scaly, golden belly and emanated a frightening aura from his form as he calmly raised his clawed hand up and pointed at Jenny.

"You're a book owner, I can smell another experiment's scent on you. You're not going to try to run, are you?" He asked in a calm, almost gentle voice…yet there was an unmistakable undertone of dark power in his words that made Jenny stiffen in fear. "We only want to talk."

"You know about the battle to decide the champion, don't you?" The girl asked. "Please hand over your book and let us burn it quietly. Hanging around with an experiment will only bring you great suffering."

"Oh really?" Jenny growled, pulling her bag away. "And why don't you burn your OWN book and keep that experiment of yours from hurting others?"

Then Jenny saw something. The girl before her bit her lip, and a horrid flash of sadness entered the girl's eyes. She was obviously hurting.

"You don't understand…" She said softly. "I don't want anyone else…to feel what I had to feel…so I…I will make Nightwing the champion over all of them!" She proclaimed.

"Even if you DON'T hand over your book, others will come for you, little girl." Nightwing explained. "More often than not, experiments are drawn to each other. Some have the power to deliberately track others down to the very spot they're standing, others can constantly evade being found…but I think it's time we took your book and burned it. Just hand it over, please." He remarked.

"JENNY!"

Jenny turned her head and saw Carmen leaping down from a tree, wiping tears from her eyes. "RUN, QUICK!" She demanded.

"Welly, welly, well. 123, Carmen." Nightwing remarked.

"561, choo bastardo!" Carmen swore, shaking her fist at him. "Manténgase lejos de mi pareja!" She demanded.

"No can do." Nightwing remarked. "Haley?"

"Okay, let's make this quick! **UMBRA!**"

"AAA!" Jenny screamed as Nightwing spread his hand out, and a black set of chains made of dark purple energy slammed into her, wrapping around her and digging into the ground.

"Now I suggest you just hand the book over or they'll crush you where you stand." Nightwing told Jenny softly. "And you're quite young, it'd be a pity to crush your bones…"

"Sh…shut up!" Jenny yelled even as the chains dug in deeper. "Carmen…this time I'M helping…I'M helping you!"

She growled and got to her knees, then, much to everyone's amazement, stood up on her feet and began to reach for Haley's black book. Haley's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Didn't wanna do this, but…**ATER!**" Haley announced.

BA-BOOM! Nightwing shot a dark blast of energy that knocked Jenny back through the air, and she hit a tree, the chains dissipating as she groaned in pain. Carmen ran over to her, tearfully crying.

"Jenny, no, no, no…" She sobbed.

"Why are you even bothering?" Nightwing asked, a cruel smile appearing on his face. "You trying something new? A little girl on girl?"

"What…are you talking…about?" Jenny gasped out.

"Cállate!" Carmen shouted.

"You didn't tell her? How cruel you are." Nightwing laughed. "Well girl, Carmen here used to have a lot of…PARTNERS, if you know what I mean. But she was so pathetic she couldn't hold onto any, not a single one of them stuck with her long enough to truly show they cared. She should just go back to the lab, because even over in THIS world nobody would truly care about her the way she wants to be cared for. You're low class."

"SHUT THE FUCKUP!"

They all looked up to see Jenny standing up again. Even though some blood was dripping from her, she had never looked so determined.

"Carmen…was my friend…she and I played together…we eat together…we survived this long taking care of each other…" She grit her teeth, closing her eyes as she cried. "Even when I yelled at her and said I hated her, she looked through that hate and saw how much I truly loved her…"

"…Jenny…" Carmen whispered.

"You're not just my friend Carmen, I know that now! You…are…my…FAMILY." Jenny insisted. "So come on!" She held up her book. "Let's…show them…what we can do!"

"…OKAY!" Carmen laughed happily, tears streaming down her face. "For you, mi hermana!"

Nightwing frowned. "Do you really think you can…wait…"

Their book was glowing more brightly than it ever had before. Nightwing's eyes widened in surprise. "Could it be that…?"

"Hmm…I know, let's use THAT spell. If they can't last through it, they'll get creamed in a New York minute by one of the other teams." Haley suggested, holding up her book. "**ACERBUS!**"

Nightwing held his clawed hand up and focused, and a very LARGE ball of dark energy pulsed through the air towards Jenny and Carmen…

"**ANDALUSIA****!**"

Swirling and glowing, the two attacks rushed at each other as the trees nearby were blown away by the shockwave. All became white…

…

…

…

…Haley looked down at the unconscious Jenny as Carmen carefully rocked her back and forth. Jenny was still holding onto the book, a satisfied smile on her face.

"…Nightwing, let's ride." She said, walking off and leaving the park.

"…sure." He said, glancing back at Carmen. "Oh, by the way…that's some interesting power you have." He smiled in a slightly frightening fashion. "You'd better take damn good care of your book owner."

"I PLAN to." Carmen said stonily, giving Nightwing a glare that filled him with a chill. He smiled at this though.

"Hmm. Now if only more opponents could be like you." He said quietly before he flew up into the air and hovered alongside Haley.

…

…

…

… "They have a certain "strength" about them…the strength of family." Haley remarked as they sat together in the apartment they were currently staying in.

"No wonder you let them go." Nightwing said, sighing. "Ah well…they're interesting, that's for sure. But I do hope they get stronger before we meet them again…it wouldn't be any fun otherwise."

"…let's go get something to eat." Haley said. "I know this chain of restaurants Jake always liked to eat at, it's kinda greasy, but pretty good…"

**Review! And enjoy this preview!**

**Nick: What a strange object...it's some kind of pod with a number on it...**

**Chops: What the heck!? Who are you?!**

**???: How can you not REMEMBER me?! I'm your one true love!**

**???: Why hello there! Why don't you join with me and my master? We're going to eliminate all of the remaining experiments!**

**???: Those pods are beings that lost the battle for champion...100 years ago!**

**???: But Jumba's not that old! What's going on here? Find out on the next "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"! **


	15. Unknowns Everywhere!

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

**未知のオブジェクトは、不明な愛、不明な悪は、未知のどこにでも！**

**Unknown Object, Unknown Love, Unknown Evil, Unknowns EVERYWHERE!**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

While going out for a walk the next morning, Nick and Chops had stumbled upon a very…unusual thing. It was a slightly large ball painted grey, which had a designation written upon the front. This designation was "FN718525".

There were also characters on the back in familiar script…the same sort of script found in their book.

Chops was taking a nap while Nick examined the pod. He had set up shop in his room and had all the essentials: coffee machine filled with hot water, a small saucer filled with ice cold water, various medicines and tools, a large yellowtail fish, some drinks and some drawing material. And of course, a notebook to write his observations down. That was how they did it in CSI and all that…

"Alright, let's start with the first test." Nick said, talking out loud to himself. He excused this by the fact that apparently "some of the greatest minds of our time talked out loud". He examined the characters on the back of the pod, looking them over closely.

"I can't understand them at all, but they're PROBABLY spells. Let's test the first theory…"

Nick walked over to the window and held the pod towards the open sky, JUST in case. "IAEDO!"

…nothing.

"Er, ADVERSOR! RETRAHO! KIMAIRA!"

Still nothing.

"OPEN SEASAME! HOCUS-POCUS! ALAKAZAM! KABBALAH!"

STILL nothing.

ick summoned up all his might. "HOOOH! **_MI FILI, MI FILI, VENI, VENI, VENI, MI FILI! MI FILI, MI FILI, VENI, VENI, VENI, MI FILI! MI FILI, MI FILI, VENI, VENI, VENI, MI FILI!_**"

…well, what did you EXPECT to happen?

Nick tried putting the pod in ice cold water. It throbbed slightly, but that was it. He tried hot water. Same sort of throbbing…but that was it.

He tried to use the different medicines on it. Nothing worked. He whacked it with the yellowtail. It sailed through the air, bounced off the wall and hit him square in the forehead.

Finally, in desperation…

…

…

…

… "Ahhh, that was a great nap! Hey Nick, how's it going with-WOAH! Nick…what the hell are you doing?"

Chopsuey folded his arms as Nick lifted the pod out of the "Easter Egg Dye" kit he'd gotten out.

"Uh…sorry, when I get desperate, I get REALLY desperate…" Nick apologized.

Chopsuey rolled his eyes. "Let's go out for some lunch." He said. "I feel like pizza!"

"And ice cream!" Nick added.

"Indeed!" Chopsuey agreed. The two of them walked down the stairs and out the door, leaving the pod there…

"…heh-heh-heh…"

A form slipped into the room. Grabbing up the pod, he smirked and quickly dove back out the window that he'd come in. Nobody was the wiser…

…

…

…

… Nick frowned and crossed his arms. Chopsuey growled. "Whaddya MEAN, the pizza's gone?!" He demanded to know of the man behind the counter.

"Somebody attacked our truck!" The man apologized. "Sorry!"

Nick moaned. "But I wanted some cheese-stuffed crust…" Chopsuey and he walked back out the door. "I was so looking forward to-"

Suddenly Chopsuey stiffened. He held his nose up and sniffed the air for a few moments. Then he growled.

"I can smell…I can smell another experiment…and the scent of pizza's all over it!"

"Which way is it coming from?" Nick asked.

"THAT way!" Chopsuey said, pointing to the right and down the road…

Sure enough, there was somebody approaching. A female experiment. She had golden fur, spiky ears, and stubby antennae with silver tips. She had crown-like spikes upon her head and was the size of a teddy bear. Her stomach was light gold, and she had a very youthful voice.

"Oh, if you wanna be my lover…ya gotta get with my friends! Make it last forever! Friendship never ends! If you wanna be my lover…you have got to give! Taking is to easy, but that's the way it iiiis! Tell me what you want, what you really-really want, I'll TELL you what I want, what I really-really want!"

Her book owner, who was a middle-aged man with dark brown hair and glasses, sighed as he adjusted his blazer. "Precious, haven't you attracted enough attention by attacking that pizza truck?"

"I was HUNGRY." She protested. "Besides, that pepperoni was good, wasn't it J.R? Besides, meat builds up muscle!"

She smiled and flexed her arms. "Speaking of muscle that reminds me of HIM! _Ohh_, I remember it just like it was yesterday…those beautiful words…"

…

…

…

…I first saw you through the window, going on my favorite space ship onto your first mission that Jumba assigned. Even though you wrecked my beautiful gold paint job, when I heard what you had done, I was amazed…

The one who'd hired Jumba out had ordered you to kill the Royal Family and had paid in full…but you had hadn't killed the King and Queen's baby daughter and son, claiming that the guards had been coming and being recognized would have jepordized your creator…

We all knew you'd spared them on purpose. That small smile on your face as you told the story to us in the cafeteria revealed the true kindness in your soul. And your beautiful hair…smooth body…shining teeth…

Oh, you made my heart leap out of my chest!

I tried many an approach…even though I never truly got the courage to speak with you until…

"Uh…this is for you, Ch-Chopsuey…I know you like Yellowtail Turkey!" She said, handing Chopsuey a big, freshly-killed turkey with yellow feathers on it's tail.

"Ooh! Thank you very much!" He said happily, grinning.

My love matured even more! But now…

…

…

…"If we met, we'd be enemies…" Precious murmured sadly. "This fight can be so cruel…"

"HEY!"

The two looked up and saw Nick and Chopsuey looking right at them.

"Ah! My beloved Chop-chan!" Precious said happily.

"Uh…who are you?" Chopsuey asked.

**SFX: Cracking sounds**

"…you…don't remember me? Y-y-your lover? Precious?"

"Uh…nope. Sorry." Chopsuey said, scratching his stomach.

**SFX: Glass shattering**

"Un…forgivable…UNFORGIVABLE!" Precious hollered as she clenched her fists and screamed at the sky, her face split with hatred. "I WILL BURN YOUR BOOK FOR THIIIIS!"

"Uh, Chops, are you SURE you don't remember her?" Nick whimpered in fear.

"I think I'd remember a crazy psycho b—ch like this!" Chopsuey whimpered as well.

"How can you not remember me!!!" Precious sobbed, beating her fists into the ground. Naturally people on the street had run for it, not wanting to get caught between these two freakshows. "I winked at you… I made a doll that looked just like you…blew kisses…and you can't remember me!?"

"Well, I kinda had a lot of girls who lusted after me, I mean-"

Nick moaned as he slapped his face. "That's NOT the sort of thing you say to a wom-"

"RAAAARRRR! I'LL KILL YOU!!!!" Precious howled.

"-AAAAAANNNN!" Nick screamed.

"J.R! A spell!" She screamed, jumping up and down.

"Right then…" J.R. remarked. "**GOUTTE!**"

Precious raised her hands and suddenly a golden blast arose from her hand. It drenched Nick and Chopsuey and sent them flying back. The two staggered back up, dripping.

"…this is…gold?!" Nick gasped. "Liquid gold! WOAH!"

"Gold or not it's disgusting being covered in this!" Chopsuey muttered. "Good thing it slides right off!"

"Yes, Precious has made me QUITE wealthy with all the gold she can make with her powers…but that's not important right now." J.R remarked, waving a hand nonchalantly.

"No, it's not. THIS is: **IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick hollered. Chopsuey swung his fists and the energy fist blast soared through the air at Precious.

"**Brise-lames!"** J.R yelled, with Precious snapping her fingers. A golden, circular whirlpool swirled up and it absorbed the blast.

"WOAH!" Nick yelled. "Crikey!"

"And guess what ELSE it does?" Precious went on, raising a finger in the air. She snapped her fingers again…and it whizzed through the air, striking our heroes. Nick immediately screamed in pain and Chops hit the ground, struggling to stay up.

"That…hurt…" Nick gasped out.

"Oh really? Well…" Precious shrugged…then she snarled and bared sharp fangs. "IT'S NOTHING COMPARED TO THE PAIN WITHIN MY HEAAAARRRRT!"

"Hoo boy." Chopsuey moaned.

"**CASCADAE**!" J.R roared out. Precious raised her hands in the air and a geyser of gold arose from the ground, roaring towards Nick and Chopsuey…suddenly the geyser split up into golden whips that raced right at them!

"Grr…**Adversor!**" Nick yelled, summoning up the pusling green shield.

"Don't-take-me-lightly!" Precious sang out, twirling her hands. The golden whips wrapped around the shield and proceeded to break it into pieces.

"Quick, call another one forward…BIGGER!" Chops suggested.

"Alright then…**ADVERSOR!**" Nick howled out, calling forth even more power. Now the pulsing shield was three times bigger!

Precious just giggled, twirling around in a pirouette. "You're taking me lightly again! You're not going to accomplish anything." Finally she stopped and pointed forward. "With THIS…I'LL FINISH YOU!"

She snapped her fingers and the whips surged around the shield, going directly for them.

…

…

…

…watching from above, experiment 120 smirked. He had a vaguely reptilian face and a greenish/teal body, with a large head. He had small white eyes with black pupils and little arms and legs with small hands and feet to match. There were black markings upon his back and his head had three tentacles on each side. His name? Snafu.

"Hee-hee!" He giggled happily. "This fight's really one-sided! That girl's filled with the power of hate…just like my master wants in a servant." He rubbed his small hands together. "Ooh, if that girl joins us, my master's plan will be even closer to completion! He'll be sure to reward me for bringing a strong girl like her to our side! Maybe toys? Or tons of waffles? I love waffles, Belgian or Potato! Waffa-waffa-waffa-waffa-waafffles!"

He bounded up and down on the ledge he was watching from. "I'm talking WAFFLES! Woo! Belgian or Potato…what the hey?!"

Then smoke that had arose from the strike Precious had sent had faded away…and Nick and Chops were still standing.

"We used the shield to hide and jump far back. Simple. Cheap. Elegant. Comes in a can!" Nick laughed. "If you can't see your opponent, then that attack you used is pretty useless!"

"Yeah…well you're still on the run." Precious said, crossing her arms. "We're still winning against you! Now…" She raised a finger. "If you were nice and apologized, I MIGHT forgive you!"

Nick looked over at Chops. "Chops, look, the girl seems to be really hurting deep down. You ought to just apologize…"

"…you're right." Chopsuey admitted. He turned to face Precious. "I'm…sorry…for forgetting you. It was wrong of me."

"So…" Precious blushed as her eyes went sparkly. "Do you really love meeee?"

"…uh…" Now CHOPS was the one blushing. "Er…look, that's…not really something I can just…admit…"

"Would you just kiss her already!" Nick moaned.

"KISS HER!?!" Chopsuey cried, pulling on his Mohawk.

"Yeah! Pucker up, buttercup!" Nick said, holding Chopsuey up in the air.

**"No-no-no-no-no!"** His partner protested, squirming around madly.

"You're trying to trick me!!!" Precious howled. "You lying sack of…J.R! Let's use THAT spell!"

"Right…**Mise-en-plis!"** J.R shouted, opening up the book again. Precious slashed and slashed at the air, sending golden crescent blades flying at them.

"Let's pump up your body!" Nick yelled. **"The Sixth Spell: Imperius!"** He yelled. An aura of rainbow light surrounded Chopsuey as his body grew. The green experiment stretched his claws and curled up into a spiky ball, rolling at the crescent waves, knocking them away.

"OOOOOH! You're not going to get away with this! J.R! THE CLAWS!"

"Right!** ARROSAI**!"

Precious flexed her arms and legs, and they became encased in shining golden gauntlets and boots. The gauntlets had large claws on them, the boots were sharp and taloned. She jumped into the air and proceeded to grapple with Chopsuey…soon the two were rolling around on the ground, growling in each other's faces.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings…but I HAVE to defeat 626 and become a good and just champion! That's my goal!" Chopsuey managed to get out.

"626?! Who's HE? I don't care about this freaking contest!" Precious snarled. "I JUST HATE YOUR GUUUUTS!"

Nick sweat-dropped. "Er, we'd better finish it…**IADEO-IEDO!"**

Nothing happened. Chopsuey shoved Precious off him and she bounced back to her partner.

"Uh oh…I don't think we can use any other spells during "Imperius"..." Nick realized out loud, sweat-dropping.

"Time for our ultimate attack!" Precious laughed, putting both hands on her hips.

"With this…DISSAPEAR!" J.R proclaimed, turning to a new page. **"MARIN-REINE!"**

Yelling with all her mighty, Precious pointed at the sky as liquid gold swirled around, then formed a dragon with bird-like feathers and a sharp "beak". It had large talons and spiked horns and was quite different in appearance from their dragon spell.

"We've got to stop this!" Nick yelled. "Alright…let's give it all we've got!"

"I won't lose to you!" Chopsuey insisted, clenching his fists. "I will become a kind-hearted champion and will stop these sorts of fights forever!"

"**KIMAIRA**!" Nick bellowed out, turning to the page with the spell.

The patchwork beast of blazing emerald aura appeared, summoned by Chopsuey's aura. It quickly dove through the air and slammed into Marin-Reine, snapping it's neck and making it dissipate. With a roar, it dove at Precious, who's eyes widened.

"I…lost?" She gasped.

"YES! We've done it!" Nick yelled, punching the air.

"NOT SO FAST!" A voice yelled out.

Nick and Chops blinked in surprise as a tentacle-head teal…_thing_ jumped in front of Precious and J.R, turning to them. "I'm not letting you send my new comrade back!"

"Who're you?" Precious asked, a confused look on her face.

"I'm Snafu! Foiler of a Thousand Plans!" He bragged. "My master's made a plan to eliminate all the remaining experiments…and you can help us out!"

"WHAT?!" Nick yelled.

"THE!?!?" Precious and J.R shouted.

The word Chops finished with was unsuitable for your ears.

"I'll give you the full details later, first to deal with this beast!" Snafu laughed, stretching his arms out. "My strongest spell…**Grande-Fouillis!!!**" He hollered.

A couple seconds passed. Then he blinked and turned around to face J.R and Precious.

"Oops. Forgot. Book keeper's at the dentist."

"Oh f—k me." Precious moaned, slapping her face.

BA-BOOOOOOOMMM! The patchwork beast collided with them. Smoke was sent rising everywhere. Nick fell to his knees as he gasped heavily along with Chopsuey, who tried to help him up.

"Did…we…get them?" He asked.

Chopsuey blinked as the smoke slowly vanished…revealing the threesome were alright…though covered in bruises and blackened. They all coughed and ran down the street, escaping.

"So they're running off…" Nick muttered. "Where'd that guy come from? That's a riddle for the ages…"

His eyes widened. Riddle…he thought back to Dr. Rupert. "Dr. Rupert said that dark forces were gaining power…this must be what he meant. But…that begs the question…what are these dark forces UP to?"

"Something tells me we're gonna find out _really_ soon." Chopsuey told him.

…

…

…

…"Ugh…can't believe I had to walk all this way. And this cave is way too dark…couldn't you put some more torches in?" Precious muttered as she stood next to her book owner and watched Snafu put something down .

Snafu placed the last pod down in a row among the others and stepped back. "This is the last pod, Master of Shadows!"

His master smiled. "Good!" He said happily. "Now then…Precious, I know you're rather…put off by me."

Precious frowned, then looked away, nervously shaking. It was true…she felt a horrid chill run through her when she looked this person in the eyes…

"But now I'm going to show you something…special." The Master of Shadows said in a manner that made her think of a mother who was going to give her son the puppy he always wanted for his birthday.

"What are all these pods for?" Precious asked.

"These pods…" MOS explained as he grinned and showed off perfect teeth. "Are part of my ultimate plan to destroy the competition…especially the weak 626, who thinks himself superior. What a fool." He laughed slightly, then went on. "All of these pods are beings who lost the battle for champion of experiments 100 years ago." He explained.

"Wh-WHAT?" Precious gasped. "But…Jumba isn't THAT old!"

"Ha-ha-ha! Do you think Jumba was the only one who engaged in this sort of competition?" The Master of Shadows laughed. "Many scientists used it to see who had the strongest creations! The ones you see before you contain some of the mightiest warriors this galaxy has ever known."

"Wait…hold on!" Precious said. "If your book gets destroyed somehow, then you return to the homeworld you came from, that's the rule of the contest!" She insisted.

"Indeed. I was puzzled by it too. But then I did some research and discovered a true…demon."

"What?" Precious gulped.

"This demon had the name Samael. He was a very strong experiment who had the power to suck the life out of an opponent…with the aid of that power he had, he transformed his unlucky opponents into the pods you see before you." MOS continued. "These experiments weren't able to return to their creators or their homeworlds. They've been trapped for 100 years…and thanks to Snafu here, I collected an ARMY that can now be subject to my will."

"Wait…then why do you need little ol' me?" Precious asked, posing in a cute manner.

"Because I require a leader for this army…several, actually…those who understand the current battle in and out…and you and Snafu qualify." He explained to her.

"But what makes you think they'll listen to you?" Precious asked.

"They've been locked away for 100 years, stewing all this time." MOS said, smirking. "They've been holding a century-old grudge…and they need something and someone to vent that grudge on, each and every one of them. I'm going to give them that…and MORE." He laughed. "Now then…behold! You were talking about how there wasn't enough…LIGHT in this cave?"

The Master of Shadows snapped his fingers and a string of lights flooded over them, bathing over the pods. Then it began to sprinkle down in gentle rain.

"The light's becoming…water?" Precious whispered in amazement.

"It was dark energy that put the finishing touches on them. Light energy will reverse it." The Master of Shadows explained. "**Now ****AWAKEN**!" He commanded, stretching out his arms. "**WARRIORS FROM A HUNDRED YEARS PAST!**"

The pods grew, expanding with bolts of light…and then…

Lightning seemed to split the whole area. The inscriptions on the back of the pod rose up, transforming into their true nature: spell books, which were deposited beneath the forms of the awakened experiments. The roars of the awakened beings were so loud it almost split Precious and Snafu's eardrums. Gigantic and mighty, powerful and bestial, brave-looking and tough, all of these warriors were forces to be reckoned with.

"With these warriors, you can get your revenge on the one who spurned you…don't you think?" MOS asked Precious.

Precious put a fingertip to her lip…then smiled.

"This…will be fun." She laughed. "Just you wait, Chopsuey…you're…going…to…**pay**!"

**Review! And now a preview!**

**Nick: What the heck are THESE things? Are they experiments?**

**Chops: What do you mean by "Fanon" tournament?**

**Precious: Hee-hee! They've been stewing for 100 years and are REALLY bored. They're gonna vent their frustrations right on YOU!**

**Nick and Chops: You've done something HORRIBLE...Master of Shadows, you will not be forgiven!**

**Precious: Things might get tricky on the next "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"!**


	16. Your Enemy's Soul Is Crying In Pain!

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

**あなたの敵の魂の痛みの叫びです！**

**The Soul of Your Enemy is Crying in Pain!**

**--------------------------------------------------------- **

"Alright, let's practice again." Nick said, as he and Chopsuey sat underneath a tree to eat the picnic lunch Nick had made.

He clapped his hands together. "It-tada-ka-matsu!"

"Eet-tada-ka-masstoo!" Chopsuey said, clapping his clawed paw/hand thingies together.

"…ugh. One more time. It-tada-ka-matsu!"

"It-tada-ka-matsu!"

"You did it! Alright!" Nick smiled.

"So it's a Japanese prayer?" Chopsuey asked.

"Yep! A blessing for food. You know there are people in the USA who go to bed hungry every night. It's really very cruel the way life works out…that's why we have to take advantage and do the best with what we have…and be grateful for what we're given!"

"I've been given a lot!" Chopsuey said happily. "You know, it's been two months since I met you and I've been having lots of fun…"

He smiled. "I wish I could stay here with you for the rest of my life…then this happiness would last forever."

"I know what you mean, it's like…"

"You feel like…"

"The brother I never really had!"

The two blinked, then laughed at the same time. "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"Eh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh!"

_Forever…yeah, that…that would be a beautiful thing_, Nick thought to himself as they finished up their meal. _We eat together, we've got lots of friends…we play all the time…this is how life's supposed to be…_

BA-BOOOOM!

The tree they were eating lunch in split apart in two as a certain VERY angry experiment appeared. "I'M BAAAAAAAHHHHHKKK!" She screamed in a screechy female imitation of "The Terminator". "I'VE COME FOR YOU CHOOOOPPPPSSS!"

"It's…it's…it's…" Nick stuttered.

"Oh, not PRECIOUS." Chopsuey moaned.

"Come onnn! It's only been a week! Can't you come back some other time besides lunch for a rematch! People always interrupt us when we're trying to eat a meal!" Nick complained.

"Rematch? Oh-no-no-no-no-no!" Precious said, waving a finger in the air as her book keeper approached from behind. "Yeah, we've come to burn your book, but I'm sitting on the sidelines with some popcorn for this! So come on out…"

She raised her hand up. "WARRIORS FROM A CENTURY PAST!"

Chopsuey and Nick looked up as a flying form circled over them…and it was holding onto people! The people jumped down and took up fighting poses right before them, and it was then that he realized…

"Those…those are experiments!" He gasped.

The flying experiment was a remarkably gentle-looking being with dark blue fur and bright eyes. It looked rather feminine with its large, angelic wings, and had a simple, sad expression on its face as it landed by Precious and sat down to watch the other experiments.

The threesome before them looked…tough. One had buck teeth, green skin and tilted antennae. He was wearing a polo shirt with a pocket protector…but the eyes behind his glasses were filled with hatred, and he was wielding deadly-looking ray guns.

The second experiment had a very rounded head and eyes that had no soul. He was dark blue, with stubby fingers, and he was wearing a thick scarf that trailed behind him, flipping around, even though…there was no wind. It had ocean waves painted upon it.

The third was the biggest of them all. Muscular with a rooster-like crest at the top of his head, hooves instead of hands and a dark brown body, he was wearing camouflage pants and had sharp fangs in his jaws.

Their book owners stood behind them, a vacant gaze on their faces. It was…weird, to say the least.

"Now then…Aaron, Alexander and Pitt are gonna burn your book. GET 'EM, guys! Fight all you want!"

"RAAARR!" All of the experiments howled, rushing forward.

"There's such…bizarre intensity and hostility coming from them. It's like…their souls are screaming in pain!" Nick gasped as he stepped back.

"Nick, soul-analyzing later, fighting now!" Chopsuey yelled, jumping back.

"Right!" Nick opened his book quickly. "Wait for that one in the front, the big guy to get close…"

The big guy, Pitt, howled and raised his arms to slam them down…

"**IADEO!**" Nick yelled.

Chopsuey's punch blast knocked him back into the others. They all fell in a heap and Nick pointed at Precious.

"Precious, what do you mean by "a century past"? Were there other battles on Planet Earth?"

"Oh yes. Jumba's not the only one who did these competitions. Scientists would send their creations here to duke it out, all to see who was the best…"

"What's happened to them?" Nick demanded. "Why are their souls screaming!?"

"…you don't need to know that…but you should know that they won't listen to reason. They'll keep fighting." Precious remarked, twirling a finger in the air. "So the question becomes…can you stay alive?!"

The three experiments jumped up and their book owners yelled out attacks.

"**AQUO!**"

"**ZAPAREN!**"

"**BRUTAR!**"

Pitt slammed his fists into the ground and a shockwave of dark brown energy sailed at them. Aaron fired off his lasers in a deadly barrage. Alexander's scarf twirled up in the air and fired a blast of water…all three attacks were headed right at them!

"**ADVERSOR!**" Nick yelled.

The green shield arose from the ground, blocking the attacks and sending them right back! "YES!" Chops yelled. "This'll teach-OH NO!"

"**TIGWIRN**!" Alexander's book keeper yelled. The scarf around the experiment's body rushed forward and slapped the attacks away…then rushed forward and slammed them back. Chopsuey and Nick fell on their backs and groaned as they tried to get up.

"Powerful after being trapped for 100 years as pods, aren't they?" Precious asked.

"100 years as-so THAT'S what those pods were!" Nick gasped. "They were experiments turned into pods?"

"How keen you are! It's true! These warriors competed in the "Fanon" tournament years ago…and they were dehydrated by a dark energy attack from the villainous "Samael"." Precious told them, raising a finger. "Try to picture it…trapped for 100 years, totally conscious, unable to move…"

"How…how pitiful…" Chopsuey whispered.

"Those that released them from the pods are like angels to them!" Precious said, giggling. "They owe us their lives! And now you guys are going to reap the whirlwind that's been building in these poor dear's hearts for 100 years!"

"So what!?" Nick yelled. "We can fight and beat them like any other experiment!"

"Nah-ah-ah!" Precious said, waving a finger. "Those of the Fanon age are more powerful than a normal experiment…and they haven't even used their strongest spells yet!"

"Oh YEAH? Let's see…**IAEDO-IEDO**!" Nick yelled, opening up the book.

Chopsuey swung his fists and the attack sailed directly into Pitt…but even though blood oozed down from his chest, he just staggered back up, growling.

"Darn it…I hit you dead on! Stay down!" Nick yelled.

"**BLASTAREN**!"

Aaron slammed his guns together and they merged into a gigantic "pepperbox" style blaster of black and grey. It fired off rays of energy that sailed at them. Nick turned around and curled into a ball, but the lasers cut his sides, his hair…he panted heavily as pain shot through his body. At least the book was safe…

"We've…gotta run…we can't beat them…here…" He muttered. "I've got…a plan…" He whispered.

Chopsuey nodded and lifted Nick onto his back, smiling. "Aw, Nick, you're hopeless without me…"

Seeing their prey run off, the experiments and their book owners took after them, heading into town. Chopsuey tore down the street and dove into an alley that had a dead end to the left. He dove to the right, raced down aways, then placed Nick back on the ground. His partner staggered up, opening the book as the three experiments and their book owners turned the corner…

They raced towards Chops and Nick, who grinned. "You're all lined up! Nowhere to run!" Nick yelled. "COME ON!!! **KIMAIRAAAA!**"

Chopsuey's arms spread wide as he summoned the aura beast, which roared as it dove at the experiments, claws outstretched, snake tail hissing, fangs spread open…

Then the worst thing possible happened.

"**GIGANTO-BRUTAE!**"

"**DAYMO-AQUATOS!**"

Pitt and Alexander thrust their arms up. Pitt slammed them down and a HUGE rising wave of earth arose from the ground, while from above a beautiful mermaid made of ocean waves rushed forward at the beast. Eyes wide, Nick watched as the spells collided, and he realized with horror…

"Our…spell…our best spell lost." He whispered as Chopsuey's body quivered with fear.

"Ooh. If that had been against ONE of them, it might have done something, but really…"

Precious appeared alongside the others. "I'm disappointed. You honestly haven't learned that the fanon line is-"

"I'm not…finished yet." Nick said, tucking the book into his shirt and taking up a fighting pose.

"Trying to protect the book with your body? Oh, what a moron you are!" Precious groaned, rolling her eyes.

Chopsuey stood in front of Nick, arms outstretched, glaring.

"You're going to BOTH take us on? Even without spells? Ah, what a moving friendship…" Precious remarked. "But don't expect any sympathy from me…" She snapped her fingers. In an instant, Chops was grabbed and pinned to the wall by Pitt.

"Those humans…have they no compassion either?" Nick muttered. "Their eyes…they're all…empty…"

"Oh, you noticed?" Precious asked, blinking. "You ARE keen! The original owners of the experiments passed away…well, except maybe one or two that are in some nursing home somewhere. We had to get fresh faces!"

"What…did you DO to them?!" Nick growled.

"All of their hearts are being manipulated by our master." Precious said. "You see it's like this: the old book owners died away, but their DESCENDANTS remained…and that's what ol' Snafu's been doing, besides gathering pods…he's been looking up the descendants of the original book keepers…you know what's interesting?" Precious asked, raising an eyebrow. "There's at least ten times as many people as there are books!"

She shrugged. "But even if they're descendants, that didn't mean they could USE the books! So we began experimenting. We discovered…"

A dramatic pause. Then…

"…Most couldn't read the book…and almost none could release spells." She mumbled.

**SFX: Wa-wa-waaa!**

"…that's just sad." Chops said.

"I guess that the…the…the thingies, you know…" Precious mumbled, tapping her pointer fingers together.

"…gears didn't fit together?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, the gears didn't fit together." Precious said, snapping her fingers. "The jigsaw puzzle pieces wouldn't fit. So…we MADE them fit with the Master of Shadows strength! He forcibly closed the gap between their hearts and the books! Sometimes the human reacted rather…badly…" Precious admitted.

"I can't forget the screaming." Her book keeper muttered.

"But as long as the "types" were similar, the wavelengths of the person's "aura" could be set to match the experiments." Precious told them. "The shining light of the heart can be bent by force of will…and our boss has will!" She laughed. "Then he removed all feelings save the urge to fight."

"What…did…you…say?" Nick whispered, brown furrowing down, eyes narrowing.

"This one's too much of a coward, that one's a pacifist, that one's a compassionate doctor, this one's a construction worker who's too concerned about his three kids…we had to turn them all into fighting machines! And they're strong enough to make you guys go on the run!" Precious went on, looking smug.

"How about you drink a nice tall glass of SHUT THE F—K UP!" Nick screamed.

"Do you have any idea what you've DONE?!" Chopsuey growled.

Instantly Precious took a step back. She was no longer looking at an experiment and a human boy. Now she was looking at two horrendous and frightening beasts who had been filled with complete and utter fury at the cruel treatment of innocent people. A reddish/black aura arose from their bodies as their eyes narrowed at Precious.

"You manipulated people who didn't want to fight and are forcing them against their will to battle…"

"I can't stand it…" Chopsuey hissed. He clenched his fist. "Involving experiments who deserved to go home…who should have been returned to their creators, to their mothers and fathers! You…you've involved people who should have never been a part of this sick game!!!" He screamed.

"**You've done something ****horrible!!!**" Chops and Nick screamed at them.

Precious's eyes filled with fear. "Y-y-you can't…still fight back…you CAN'T!"

"You made innocent people fight…" Nick whispered. "You're taking advantage of an experiment's feelings…"

"Somebody who would do something so sick…" Nick went on. He and Chops were no longer shaking with fear, but pure rage. "Somebody so CRUEL…**I COULD NEVER STAND TO SEE HIM BE IN CHARGE!**"

"Bringing people into this who should be home with their family…**I WON'T LET THIS HAPPEN!**" Chops screamed. He flung Pitt away and stood by Nick.

"**IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick yelled, as Chopsuey flung two fist-shaped blasts at Precious…

BA-BAAAM!

Smoke arose from the alley. Nick panted heavily as Chopsuey leaned against the wall.

"Did we…get them?"

"That stung pretty bad." Precious admitted, putting her bleeding arms down as the smoke cleared away. "But your body's reached its limit, so your attacks won't do much of ANYTHING now. So…" She raised her hand. "There's nothing the two of you can do! ATTACK!"

"**Aquo!**"

"**Zaparen!**"

"**Brutar!**"

"DARRN IIIT! COME ON, WE CAN'T LOSE TO THEM!" Nick yelled at the book, which barely glowed at all.

"WE CAN'T LET THESE MONSTERS WIN!" Chopsuey screamed, clenching his clawed paw/fists.

Then a miracle occurred.

"**CONTEGO**!"

A glass-like dome shield arose around Chopsuey and Nick, and the attacks bounced off. The twosome looked to their rights and saw, up on a roof above…

A Japanese girl with brown hair tied into two ponytails and a pink experiment with blue stripes.

"You're friends of Page, right?" The experiment yelled. "Any friend of his is a friend of mine! I'm Crystallene and this is Yuuku!"

"We're here to help you in the fight!" Yuuku agreed, holding up her book which was a lighter shade of pink than Carmen's book had been. "**Praesidium!**"

A wave of ruby energy was sent out in a crescent wave right at the book keepers, Precious and the experiments. A cloud of dust was sent up as Yuuku and Crystallene hopped down.

"The doctor called us up, you see." Crystallene said. "He said you were in trouble in your hometown, so we followed the sounds of a fight when we arrived, and here we are!"

"Oh please." Precious remarked as she dusted herself off. The smoke had cleared once more. "That attack was lame. You're a small fry. GET HER!"

"**GIGANO-BRUTAE!**" Pitt's book owner yelled, sending up the wall of earth again.

"Small fry, huh? Suck on this, "girlfriend"!" Crystallene laughed.

"**REPENDO!**" Yuuku hollered.

Instantly a glowing glass dome was erected…around Pitt and the other two experiments!

"The book sends your attack right back at you…YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW!" Crystallene yelled as the earth came crashing down on the experiments. The resulting shockwave of the crash knocked the book owner's on their butts…

"Now! **Praesidium**!" Yuuku called out. Crystallene sent another blast out.

"**IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick yelled, calling forth all of HIS strength as well.

The three blasts whizzed through the air and struck the books. Instantly they were alit with flames!

"You're strong!" Nick gasped.

"The professor fought us too…his battle style was annoying, but now we've gotten loads better…" Yuuku admitted. "In fact, we have another spell as well!"

"Oh boy, this looks interesting!" Chops said, blinking.

"**MINISTRO-SOCIUS!**" Yuuku yelled.

Crystallene stood on her tippy toes, closing her eyes. Then she re-opened them, revealing them to have frosted over in crystals…and now something formed above her…a glowing javelin with a shining point end made of beautiful amethyst, and a shaft of beautiful sapphire.

"Woah…" Nick gasped.

"An attack? I'll…I'll blow it away!" Precious said defensively. "JR-"

"Nick, don't dodge this!" Crystallene yelled.

"Huh?"

Nick didn't have time to do anything except shout in surprise as Crystallene slammed the javelin into his chest. He let out a cry, feeling for a moment like blood was spurting out…

Then he looked down…it was water…and it was soaking into his body. A few moments later the javelin and water were gone, and as he stood up, he felt…GREAT!

"I…I'm rejuvenated! So that spell…is a healing spell?"

"Unorthodox, but yeah!" Crystallene said. "Cool beans, huh?"

"Now…" Chops grinned evilly. "Let's get Precious!"

"…uh, where IS she?" Nick asked.

They looked around. The book owners were unconscious. The experiments had been sent home. But Precious and J.R were…

Above?

"J-J-Just you wait!" She screamed at them, waving her hand as she rode atop the experiment that was carrying her and J.R away. "I'll get you back! There's plenty more where they came from! I'LL GET YOU!"

Nick sighed and took a deep breath. Then he spoke. "Come on, let's get these guys here woken up…"

He knelt by the first man, who was wearing a hunting cap and a plaid jacket. The man rubbed his head as he awoke and managed to speak.

"Wh-where am I?"

"Oh, Hawaii. On the island of Niihau, actually."

"How'd I get HERE?" He asked. "Wait…your clothes…and that dog…you're beaten up? Who'd do such a cruel thing to a child?"

Nick felt a terrible pang go through him.

"Ahh! Where is it?"

Chops saw the second book owner wake up and rifle through his jacket pockets. "It's Penny's birthday, where's her gift?" After a few moments he finally pulled it out. It had been a beautiful butterfly-shaped locket…but now it was broken in half.

Chopsuey growled intensely as he clenched his fists. Nick felt a horrible hatred arise in him.

"_Master of Shadows"…you MONSTER…involving innocent people…forcing them to fight…manipulating their hearts and not fighting on his own!?_

"We'll show you." Nick and Chopsuey thought at the same time.

"_**We'll show you…"**_

…

…

…

… "Good, you're here. My four strongest…"

MOS smiled as he looked them over. The four greatest warriors he possessed…The Legendary Beasts.

"I imagine 626 and his little friends would be quite jealous if they knew of your power…" The Master of Shadows shrugged. "Oh well…I'm going to have lots of fun…and then…"

He grinned. "I will reign supreme."

…

…

…

…"Nick? Why are you growling?"

Nick was holding onto a letter and a horrible growl was building in his throat.

"It's…from…Dr…Rupert." He managed to get out.

"Ooh, really?" Jenny remarked.

Carmen, Jenny, Chopsuey and he were all outside Nick's house, standing near the mailbox. It was white, but it had a Yellow Labrador Retriever painted onto it. Nick had introduced Jenny, Carmen, Crystallene and Yuuku together, and it had been sad to see Yuuku and her partner go. But they had apparently had "prior engagements" with none other than Dr. Rupert.

And the good doctor had written a note to Nick, who, arm shaking, handed it to Jenny, who read it out loud.

"Dear Nick…

It's me, Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel, all-knowing professor of medicine and science. You're probably wondering where Master's hiding out. I already figured it out a week ago. I get the feeling if you pulled an all-nighter, you'd pick up a SMALL trail…ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

A little "tic" appeared on Nick's head as he gnashed his teeth. Jenny hesitantly read on.

"Sorry, Nick. That's the way the cookie crumbles!"

"YOU CONDESCENDING LITTLE GERBIIIIIL!" Nick screamed to the heavens, holding his fists up.

From somewhere far away, another voice shouted "HAMSTEEERRRR" back at him.

"Uh…I'll keep reading. It says that the enemy has concentrated in a set of ruins in Peru, near a mountain range known as the Andes. I've enclosed plane tickets there."

"It's true…he did." Nick said, holding up some plane tickets.

"He goes on. "I'm sorry I can't come with you to the ruins. But even if I were to go there, it would be in vain, since the Fanon experiments are greater in strength and number. Therefore I shall go in search of other allies who will aid us in our quest…and eventually I shall meet you there at the ruins. I want you to survive until then, Nick…Chopsuey. I feel as you do…it is sickening to manipulate another's heart, to turn them into wolves when they are lambs deep down. Someone twisted as "Master" should not become the supreme experiment! Remember you are not alone…combine your power! I'll meet with you again and be glad to see your youthful face…

Yours truly…

Dr. Rupert."

Nick crossed his arms and sighed deeply.

"…I wish I could have said "thank you" in person." He admitted quietly. "What kind of guy can't…can't even say "thank you" to a good friend in person?"

"Don't worry, Nick." Chops said. "We'll see him again."

"…I suppose we'd better start packing!" Nick said happily. "Our other friends won't wait for us forever!"


	17. Dramatic Revelations!

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

**劇的明かさ！闘争に複雑になるでしょう！**

**Dramatic Revelations! The Fight Gets Complicated!**

**-----------------------------------------------------------**

Arriving at the stone temple embedded in rock walls, our heroes looked at each other.

"Well, here we are." Nick said to Yuuku and Crystallene. "This is really it…the stronghold of the century-old warriors…the fanon line."

"It's so huge…" Crystallene said.

"A rocky mountain stronghold with labyrinth corridors within." Nick said to them all. "And there's plenty of big rooms to get lost in from what I've read up on this place, so everyone be very careful." He insisted.

RUSTLE-RUSTLE…

Everyone turned their heads. There was rustling in the bushes! Nick whipped his spell book out of his backpack and turned to Chopsuey. "All right Chops, it looks like we've got guards to deal with!" He said. "Let's take care of them quickly!"

"Don't shoooot!"

"Whaaa?!"

Out of the bushes came an almost-sobbing Morpholomew, closely followed by Spud, his book owner.

"Thank goodness you guys are here!" Morpholomew said. "I was really scared because nobody else was here when we first arrived, so we've been hiding!"

"Yeah, not that we're…y'know…afraid or anything!" Spud insisted.

"Alright, so let's go inside." Nick said. "Remember, not-being-spotted…that's the key." He insisted. "We must enter with _discretion_ and-"

"**AAA**!" Morpholomew had suddenly taken notice of Crystallene. "It's Strangl-leen Crystallene!" He cried, waving his hands in the air and running around in a circle.

"Hey, shu-shut up!" Crystallene shouted, pointing with a finger. "Don't insult me like that!"

"You know her?" Yuuku asked.

"WOAH, you're hot!" Spud said, looking Yuuku over. "I'll protect you, Ms. Hanako!"

"…uuuugh." Chopsuey groaned.

"Crystallene used to strangle people who really pissed her off and **I** was always on the list!" Morpholomew moaned.

"I can't believe "Moaning Morpholomew" made it this long." Crystallene admitted. "You're a crybaby!"

"I am NOT!" Morpholomew insisted. "In fact, I've learned great spells!"

"Really?" Crystallene asked.

"Why, I can even poop for a whole day straight!" He bragged.

"…YOU DISGUSTING LITTLE!!!" Crystallene shrieked.

Morpholomew's throat was promptly grabbed by Crystallene as she throttled him over and over ."YAAAAAGGGHHH!"

"QUIET ALL OF YOU!" Nick yelled angrily. That got them to shut up. Crystallene rolled her eyes as she let go of Morpholomew.

"I can't believe HE'S here. He'll just get frightened and run off." She insisted as they walked inside.

"Nah. His spells are really useful. You'll see." Nick insisted, nodding his head.

…

…

…

…as they slowly made their way through long corridors of dimly-lit light, Morpholomew quivered slightly. The walls seemed too…tight…too close together. He felt his breath quicken and his heart beat rapidly.

"You look like you're gonna cry!" Crystallene snickered. "You SURE you don't wanna run away?"

"I'm not a crybaby!" Morpholomew insisted angrily, waving his "fist" at Crystallene and walking ahead of everyone else.

"_I'm NOT…"_ He thought quietly, thinking back to Dr. Rupert's words._ "The doctor told us so…"_

…

…

…

…panting, Morpholomew and Spud looked up at Page and Dr. Rupert, eyes wide. "Are you a fanon line?" Spud asked.

"No, I'm not." Page insisted. "Those people were really after us, you just got in the way."

"But that crazy story about you being an alien…" Spud remarked.

"The professor lies sometimes, but he's telling the truth. He's an alien." Page said, nodding as Dr. Rupert looked back up in the sky at the fleeing fanon experiments who were disappearing into the horizon.

"They keep attacking us over and over. We've been attacked three times now." Dr. Rupert insisted. "So I've deduced that they have a location…a secret base where they can go to heal their wounds. And furthermore, I've heard them speak about "Master" leaving an "imprint" behind at this location that I've tracked down to a specific mountain range."

Dr. Rupert's eyes glittered. "We need to destroy whatever it is that's empowering the fanon line…and you must help."

"But we c-can't do it alone!" Morpholomew muttered, covering his mouth.

"You're NOT alone." Dr. Rupert said, raising a paw digit. "Other experiments will be waiting at the location…" He handed Spud and Morpholomew plane tickets. "And you hold the power to aid them…a power that's important!" He insisted to young Morpholomew, patting his head. "Weak and blobby though your body is, you have a spirit that can help everyone, and from that spirit you'll draw strength…"

…

…

…

…"From my spirit, I will draw strength." Morpholomew insisted to himself.

"You SURE you won't just cry when an enemy shows up?" Crystallene asked.

"Shut up, I don't cry any-"

"QUIET!" Nick whispered harshly. "Look up ahead!"

They saw, far, far down the hallway at a section where the walls had been blasted to let sunshine and air in…two fanon experiments, standing across from a row of columns. The first one was an unmistakably dangerous-looking experiment…it had a white body with a vaguely humanoid torso, but it's head and lower body was that of a serpent. It had sharp horns and a red gem in the center of his forehead, with long red claws and almost…delicate wings. The other experiment was hovering in the air, her slightly wavy tuft of hair going up and down. She resembled experiment 626 in BASIC form, only she had purple fur and a yellow belly, with a dark purple nose and a purple tinge to the end of her hair and above all…beautiful blue eyes. She had blue dots on her palms, and a squiggle-mark of blue on the back of her head, not to mention having a blue back.

"GGG!" Morpholomew almost cried out, but our experimental friends covered his mouth, preventing that.

"A big one and a small one…listen Morph, now is your chance." Nick whispered as they quickly ducked around a hallway some distance away. "I've got a plan…you have to lure them into another room…you're the ONLY one who can do this!"

"…I…I…"

_"From your spirit, you'll draw strength!"_

Morpholomew looked away slightly.

_"You have the power to aid them!" _

"I'll DO IT." Morpholomew said.

Spud fell flat on his face in a funny, anime-style. "Have you slipped your squiff, little buddy?" He asked.

"Let's do our best, Spud!" Morpholomew insisted.

_"When the doctor said I could help the others, I…I was really happy…"_ Morpholomew thought.

"They won't beat me…I'm no crybaby!" Morpholomew said, holding his arm up. **"I'm the invincible Mighty Morpholomew!"**

And so…

"Even if there's two of you jerks, I'm not scared!" Morpholomew said as he and Spud stood together, facing the fanon experiments. "I'll beat you all b-b-by myself!"

"UOOOOWWOOOOHHHH!" The purple experiment howled.

"BYOOOOOUUUUUHHH!!!" The snakelike being roared.

**_"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!"_** Morpholomew screamed, tears of utter fear and horror flying EVERYWHERE. He would have peed himself if not for the fact that he felt too DRY to do so!

He remembered the plan though. "The idea's to shut them off in a separate room and fight so they can't go for help", Nick had said. "This room…" He said, pointing at a map of the place. "You've gotta lure them there by any means necessary! Only your power can do it!"

"Am I gonna die?" He'd asked.

"Probably not." Nick said.

"OHHHHH!" Morpholomew moaned.

"Hey, Spud will go with you too, so it'll be alr-"

Spud was quivering almost as much as Morpholomew. Nick had let out a long sigh, then had gone on. "I'll tell you the battle plan from here on out so listen: it will require the breadth of your abilities…and above all, your courage!"

Now the fanon line experiments were rushing at him. He tried to move his feet, but…he felt stuck!

Suddenly Spud picked him up and began running. "Come on, little buddy!" He shouted. "Here, into this room!" He shouted, running into a room across the hallway.

Just before they made it, the gigantic snake slammed his claws into the ground right behind them. They jumped into the air, howling.

"AAA! Spud, hellllppp!"

"Calm down, Morph! We can do this, stick to the plan! You're the Mighty Morpholomew, right?" Spud insisted.

"…RIGHT!" Morpholomew said, nodding. "I'll do my best!"

They reached a stairway and Morpholomew used his morphing spell to transform into a gigantic wheel that Spud hopped into. They rolled down the stairs…that was the first part of the plan!

Landing at the bottom, Spud hopped out of Morpholomew's wheel form as his friend transformed back. Then he pointed upward, at a ledge up top. "Alright, now the second part!" He said.

Morpholomew transformed into a rope, which Spud threw and wrapped around a chunk of column at the top of the ledge. It was then that the other experiments entered the room, diving for Spud…

FA-WOOSH! Morpholomew returned to normal, yanking Spud up onto the ledge as he did so. Waving cheekily, they rushed into a hallway as the other experiments growled and clambered up to the ledge…

When they DID climb up and go into the hallway, they were greeted by a rather pleasing sight…Spud was up against a wall and Morpholomew was gone.

"I didn't think it would be a dead end…emphasis on DEAD!" Spud groaned nervously.

The two experiments grinned in an evil fashion as they looked at each other, then they rushed towards the American with their book owners right behind!

But it was all part of the plan. The third part…Morpholomew had actually transformed into the very wall Spud was leaning against!

The other experiments realized their mistake too late…they fell over and past Morpholomew's transformed form as Spud ducked to the side. Together he watched as the two experiments and their book owners fell in a heap to the other room below, where Nick and the others were waiting as well. Spud waved cheerfully to them from up above as Morpholomew beamed.

"I've changed my mind, you're really cooler than I thought!" Crystallene said happily, waving at him. "You're…uh oh…"

She pointed behind them, eyes wide.

"There's another experiment behind us, isn't there?" Morph moaned.

"…yeah." Chops mumbled.

**SFX: Wood creaking as they turn their necks to look. **

The experiment was a greenish experiment with a similar design to Stitch. She had a tuft at the top of his head and looked…well, the color of spearmint! She had a collar around his neck and blinked her big black eyes at them before running off.

"Quick, stop them from telling the others!" Nick shouted.

"We're on it, dude!" Spud shouted. "Let's go, Morpholomew!"

"All right!" He shouted, running after the spearmint-like experiment. "Thank you everyone…today I've proven I can really make a difference!" He shouted at them before he ran off with Spud.

The other two experiments rose up, looking down at our heroes.

"All right, get ready." Nick said, holding his book steady. "This is going to be intense…"

"Gyooo!"

They all stopped in place and looked up at the ledge that the fanon experiments had fallen from…Heartwing was waving from there!

"Oh! Hi, Heartwing! Came to help, right?" Nick called out. Heartwing nodded in agreement…

The snake experiment grinned coldly and rose up, mouth opening impossibly wide…and RUSHED at Heartwing!

"How DARE you!" Yuuku shouted. "**CONTEGO!**"

A dome-like shield surrounded Heartwing, and the snake bounced off of it, hissing angrily.

"Your opponents are over here!" Yuuku shouted. "Don't forget that!"

"Go, quickly, help Morph and Spud!" Nick shouted.

Heartwing bounded away, off into the hallway as the fanon experiments roared. "Here it comes…" Nick said.

"**Dokuhebi!**" The snake's book owner shouted.

"**Keikoku!"** The other book owner yelled.

The snake's wings shot forward, their pointed ends jabbing while the blue-eyed experiment's eyes glowed, shooting forth a beam of brilliant light at them.

"**CONTEGO!**" Yuuku shouted, surrounding THEM with a shield…but when the two attacks hit, BA-BAAAM! The shield was shattered into tiny pieces.

"Darn it, it's not…working?" Yuuku looked up in awe as Nick and Chopsuey rushed in front of the girl experiment…so fast, so quick!

It covered itself with it's arms as Chopsuey unleashed an "Iadeo-Iedo" right in it's face, knocking it back a dozen or so feet. It hit the ground and stumbled, trying to stand back up, but then Chopsuey was BACK in her face, grinning.

The thing tried to turn to it's book owner to ask for a spell…too late.

"**IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick shouted. BA-BAAAAM! The experiment went spiraling back into the wall, hitting it with a THA-THUNK sound.

"LOOK OUT!" Crystallene shouted, pointing upward.

The snake experiment grinned as it lunged at them, claws outstretched to spear through them. They ducked back just in time and the impact of the claws against the stony ground created a crater that split the ground in four ways!

"I guess taking their books won't be easy…" Nick muttered.

And then it happened.

"Bodie, what do you think you're doing?!" The experiment said, walking away from the wall and turning to face her book keeper, a brown-haired girl who looked very nice. "You're not firing off our stronger spells! Come on, we can't be pushed around by these jackholes, right Ranku?" The experiment asked, putting her hands on her hips and tilting her head slightly at the snakey experiment.

"Indeed Baudelaire, I'm growing tired of them tricking us." The snake demon hissed in a surprisingly noble-sounding tone to his partner.

**SFX: Breaking glass**

Nick: "The…"

Chops: "Fanon…"

Yuuku: "Experiments…"

Crystallene: "Can…"

Everyone: _**"TALK?"**_

Nick blinked for a few moments, then spoke up. "Hey! You! You guys have free will? You're not being enslaved by that "Master"?" He asked. "If he's forced you into fighting, then let's STOP already!"

The girl experiment looked at them, an unsure expression on her face as if she didn't understand what they were saying…and then she spoke.

"Heh."

She raised her paws, showing off the blue dots on the palms and revealing they were glowing, then slammed them down into the ground.

"**TENSEINOBI!"** Her book owner yelled.

Blue beams of light shot up from the space underneath them all and they were knocked back and through the air, one at a time. Panting heavily with some blood flowing down their cheeks, they stood back up as Baudelaire grinned evilly at them.

"**Forced to fight?!** Don't make me laugh!" She said, putting one paw on her chest. "We can run WILD thanks to Master! Yeah, he laid down some rules we're forced to fight by, but…" She shrugged. "Even if only a little bit, we still owe him! Fer a hundred years we've been stewing, stuck inside pod form!"

"And now we may unleash that anger at our discretion, and best of all, these humans who always obey orders will aid us in relieving our feelings of fury." Ranku said, gesturing at his human, a handsome but sad-looking Japanese baseball player. "This is really as good as it gets…"

"So stop your begging and start fighting us…you newbie **WEAKLINGS**!" Baudelaire laughed.

Chopsuey growled at this, clenching his fist. Then he heard Nick speak.

"Chops…if…if I was stuck as a pod for 100 years…would I be capable of saying such awful things?" He asked quietly.

"I don't…know." Chopsuey admitted. "Once I was locked in my room for calling Jumba fat and I went stir-crazy…but that doesn't compare to what these fanon experiments have been through…"

_"I…pity them…"_ Nick thought to himself. "Chops! Let's end this fight quickly!"

**REVIEW! And enjoy this preview!**

**Baudelaire: What do you plan to do? Beat me without hurting the human? Don't be so naive!**

**Spearmint: ...**

**Morpholomew: Something about her seems so...sad...**

**Ranku: You can't possibly defeat us!**

**Nick: YOU'RE the one who can't win! Your battle ended 100 years ago!**

**Chopsuey: It's going to be a mighty clash of desires in the next installment of "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"!**


	18. A Two Pronged Attack!

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

**両面アタック！同情に満ちてファイト！**

**A Two-Pronged Attack! A Fight Filled with Sympathy!**

**----------------------------------------------------**

Heartwing, Morph and Spud were facing down the experiment Spearmint. Her book owner stood there, her yellow hair falling down around her tan t-shirt as she held her spearmint-colored book up.

"I'm Spearmint. That's Natalie." Spearmint said. "Please get out of my way and let me tell the others."

"No way!" Spud said. "Totally off-limits!"

"Fine!" Spearmint muttered. "Natalie!"

"**KINOME!"** Natalie shouted.

Spearmint's color glowed as a large leaf was summoned up behind her, whizzing towards them like a buzzsaw.

"Quick, NOW!" Spud yelled. "Stay close Heartwing…** Variazione!**"

POOF!

They were gone!

Spearmint looked around. "Huh? Where'd…"

They didn't see part of the wall "peel" away…

"GOTCHAAA!" Spud yelled, jumping out from behind the "Morpholomew Wall" as Heartwing beamed. They had the book, they…

KA-WHAM! Spearmint leapt up and kicked Spud away quickly. He landed with a THA-THUD and groaned, a bloody nose prominent on his face.

**_"Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Spud Maaaan! Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Spud Maaaaan! Spud Maaaan!"_** Morpholomew cheered, with Heartwing clapping. Spud soon staggered up…

And they noticed that Spearmint had her eyes closed and was bobbing her head, going "da-da-da-da-da" as well.

"Hey, Spear…" Natalie reminded her.

"Oh. Sorry." She mumbled.

"We can win this!" Spud insisted.

"Yeah, that's true, but…" Morpholomew frowned as he looked over at Spearmint and her book keeper Natalie. "Somehow she seems…"

Spearmint's big eyes slowly blinked back at them.

"…sad…"

…

…

…

…"I feel sorry for them…let's use "THAT" spell." Nick said.

"Good idea." Chopsuey said as he faced down the experiments.

"You…feel…SORRY for me!? You're gonna pay for that!" Baudelaire whispered angrily.

"Listen, Yuuku, Crystallene, I'm gonna need you to listen carefully to my directions…you don't mind, right?" He asked.

"No, we trust you!" They both insisted.

"Right, let's DO THIS!" Nick yelled. "**The Sixth Spell…IMPERIUM!**" He howled as his book glowed.

They all saw Chopsuey's body glow brightly as his size increased. "So this is the "Imperium" spell Dr. Rupert told us about…" Crystallene said.

"HRRAAAHHHH!" Chops yelled, running at Baudelaire at an almost impossible speed.

"**Keikoku!" **The other book owner yelled. Baudelaire fired off a beam from her eyes, but the super-fast Chopsuey turned and ran RIGHT at her book owner!

"Going for my book, you…jerk?! Naïve idiot!" Baudelaire shouted.

**"Garagarahebi!"** Ranku's book owner shouted. Ranku's head shot forth, mouth going wide, fangs and tongue going almost impossibly long as he aimed to swallow Chopsuey whole!

"CHOPS!" Nick yelled.

"AI-YAAAH!" Chopsuey growled, grabbing ahold of the enormous serpent by the horns, much to his surprise.

"He CAUGHT HIM?!" They all shouted.

"RIGHT!" Nick yelled. "Now throw him down!"

"Oh FU-"

Baudelaire didn't have time to finish that as Ranku collided with her hard and they sailed into the wall. She staggered back up, groaning.

"C-Crap…that…that guy is just-"

FWOOP! He was right there, behind her!

"AAA!" She gasped, turning around and putting up a defensive pose. If she was hit with that power…

WOOP! He went right over her head, much to her surprise…the true target was the book owner!

"Again!?! Human, a spell!" Baudelaire shouted.

"Now, Crystallene!" Nick yelled.

"**Contego**!"

The dome shield spell surrounded Chopsuey and the book keeper.

"A barrier, CRAFTY…but not enough, newbies!"

"**TENSEINOBI**!" Her book owner yelled. Baudelaire mercilessly slammed her paws into the ground, sending bolts of energy flying up from the ground to strike Chopsuey over and over.

"AAA! I forgot he can do that from below!" Crystallene moaned. "Frick on a stick!"

"How do you like that! A barrier like that means nowhere to run!" Baudelaire shouted. Then she blinked. "…what?"

Chops was there, his body covering the bruised and battered human. The book keeper had been saved from serious injury by Chopsuey's quick actions. Growling, Baudelaire quickly leapt through the air, picked up her book keeper and hovered back to Ranku and HIS book keeper.

"He protected the human? It's just like I thought!" She muttered. "He was good before and he was good now…he had the chance to attack and didn't take it…that…that asshole, he's making fun of me! That punk…does…does he plan to win without hurting me or the human?!" Baudelaire asked herself.

Chopsuey stood up, his body still empowered as he glared at Baudelaire and Ranku, a serious glint in his eyes.

"_Stupid little_…do you really think such naïve tactics can succeed?" She asked.

"You're gonna find out what kind of power you're dealing with…" Ranku hissed.

"WE'LL DRILL YOU FULL OF HOLES!" They shouted at the same time, rushing forward.

Meanwhile, our "crybaby trio" was running for their lives from Spearmint, who was rushing after them with her book owner Natalie. Quickly turning the corner and casting the first spell, Spud decided to try a familiar trick…

Spearmint rounded the corner and saw Heartwing and Spud up against a wall. She frowned and advanced. "Let's get this over with." She said quietly, sighing.

Then just as Spearmint tried to lunge at them, Heartwing jumped on and grabbed her face! With a "WHA-WHAAA" she began flailing around as Morpholomew, who had hidden in the floor, popped up and grabbed Natalie's legs, tripping her over. The book feel down…down…

"I've got it, I've got it!" Spud said, reaching out his hand…

Spearmint, unfortunately, had knocked Heartwing away.

BA-BAM!

She got him. Both of them were sent flying down a hallway and Morpholomew ran after him. "Here's the plan." Spud said, getting back up as they hid themselves. "Those guys will go looking around, thinking that you transformed into one of the walls when in reality, I'll use the second spell to shrink you so you can get close enough to burn the book with this." Spud said, giving Morpholomew a lighter.

"But what about you?" Morpholomew said.

"We'll distract them so they can't see you." Spud insisted. "Here they come!" He whispered, hearing Spearmint approached. **"Variabilità!"** He said quickly.

Morpholomew shrank to miniscule size as Spearmint rounded the corner and leapt at Spud to attack him…

…

…

…

…Baudelaire frowned as she wiped some sweat from her brow. Ranku was hissing slightly, head bobbing up and down as he tried to stand up.

"Stop…stop mocking us!" She shouted. "No matter how hard I attack you just keep fighting indirectly!" She growled.

"You're just wasting your time! Knock it off!" Ranku growled.

"YOU'RE the ones wasting your time!" Chopsuey yelled.

"**Your **fight ended 100 years ago!" Nick yelled in agreement with his partner.

Ranku blinked in surprise. Baudelaire's face showed visible shock…and then both their bodies filled with rage.

"You…you…" She snarled. "You're pissing me off, newbie…" She growled.

"You've got nerve." Ranku admitted. "But that only gets you so far!"

"Let's see if you're still standing on your soap box after THIS attack!" Baudelaire shouted, gesturing at her book owner.

"**TEN'IMUHOU!"** Her book owner yelled.

Baudelaire leapt into the air and spread her arms. The blue light on her palms glowed, along with light from her back and eyes…and it formed a HUGE triangular shape of energy that whizzed towards them!

"There's only one thing for it…" Nick said. **"KIMAIRA!"**

Chopsuey howled to the sky as he summoned forth the chimera beast that rushed forward, jaws open wide. It collided with the triangular blast and with a HUGE explosion, dust and stone were sent flying everywhere.

Soon the smoke cleared, and Baudelaire was panting heavily, laying on the ground, one arm holding her up…but grinning. Grinning because Ranku had yet to attack!

"Oh crap, I forgot about him!" Nick yelled as Ranku rose up high, a satisfied smile on his features.

**"HEBIDOSHI!"** His book owner hollered. Ranku's scales glittered as his wings stretched out and his smooth scales became covered in thick armor. Roaring, he lunged at them all…

"Don't underestimate my shield power!" Crystallene hollered at them. **"MUNIMENTUM!"**

A mosaic shield of crystals rose in front of them all, impossibly big and strong…glowing like diamonds in the rough. Ranku slammed into it and his armor shattered. His body fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

"How did you do that?!" Ranku muttered.

"I saved up my heart power!" Yuuku said simply. "Pretty simple, huh? And guess what? While you were concentrating on Chops and Nick…"

She grinned. "Your books were open targets!" She said, holding up the books of the fanon experiments. The book owners had been quickly knocked out. She held a lighter up to both and they were alit with flames. "With this…it's over."

…

…

…

…"We did it…" Spud said quietly.

"We…did it?" Morpholomew repeated.

"We…we won all on our lonesome!" Spud said happily as he, Morph and Heartwing engaged in a group hug.

"Even though I have bruises on my **bruises**…" Spud admitted, rubbing a huge bulge on his head underneath his cap.

"I hurt in places that don't exist…" Morpholomew muttered.

"But we won!" Spud said happily. "We won…"

Spearmint calmly sat against the wall, looking up at the roof, blinking slowly.

"Hey…" Morpholomew remarked.

Spearmint turned her head. "Yeah?"

"If we ever meet again…let's be friends, okay?" He asked.

"…okay." Spearmint said, a smile finally appearing on her face, making her look beautiful. "Please…make sure Natalie gets out safely…" She added, turning to the girl who had tossed the burning book away and was now woozily rubbing her head.

"We will." Morph said as Spearmint faded away. "We will."

…

…

…

… "Can't believe…I got beaten...by newbies…" The girl experiment muttered. "Still, you still aren't strong enough to beat Master." Baudelaire insisted.

"You'd have to make it to the tower first." Ranku agreed. Both he and her were vanishing into light.

"Even IF you reached it, you'd never win…not with the way YOU'RE fighting." Baudelaire said, pointing at Chops and Nick. "You think trying to be nice and take their books without fighting's possible? Sorry, that won't happen. You're going to face some insanely strong experiments. Some are lookin' forward to tearing you a new one."

"You can't show them any mercy." Ranku admitted quietly. "So please promise us that you'll fight hard as you can."

"…uh…alright." Nick said.

"We will." Chopsuey remarked.

The two experiments smiled, nodding. "Hmm." Baudelaire remarked. "That'll do."

"Very good." Ranku said.

"Heh…these guys aren't so bad after all." Nick said, smiling gently.

"Wait…if you didn't really want to fight, then why didn't you burn your books? I know that you can't burn your own books, but why didn't you just burn each OTHER'S books?"

"I think the human knows why." Baudelaire said, pointing at Nick. "He's smart, aren't you?"

"Yes, I think I DO know. Without a human, you can't use spells. Master controls the hearts of your partners, so he has control over the experiment as well." Nick deduced.

"Right on the money." Ranku said. "And even if one of the experiments managed to get off a spell at another's book, the controlled human would do everything in their power to protect the book…even if they got seriously hurt they'd still protect it."

"And, to make things worse, if we demanded that we be released from Master's slavery or try to go against him, we'd be turned into a pod all over again!" Baudelaire told them.

They all gasped.

"You mean the spell that Samael cast hasn't been broken yet?" Nick asked.

"I don't know for sure." Baudelaire admitted quietly. "But I saw it happen, I…can't get the cries out of my head…_ooh_!" She looked down. Her body was almost gone.

"Please, one more thing…why did Master pick THIS place to be the base?" Nick asked.

"There was a light here…light of Destiny…and when it poured over us, I feel soothed…" Ranku crooned. "It's time for me to go now. Be strong…"

"See you later…newbies." Baudelaire said, smiling gently at them all. "Maybe one day we'll meet again…but don't lose…against Master…"

And with that, Ranku and Baudelaire vanished, returning to their homeworlds.

"Let's get going, guys!" Nick said.

"Yeah…we don't want to let those two down." Chopsuey agreed.

"You know…I don't think they were really bad at all." Yuuku admitted.

"Yeah. It's too bad that they had to be our enemies." Crystallene remarked sadly. "Maybe if we had met them somewhere else besides this castle, we could have been friends…"

**Author's Note:**

**First of all...REVIEW! Secondly, all of the attacks I've been using come from online dictionaries. In fact, if you're verbally-wise, you can guess why I picked the names I did. In any case, sorry this chapter's kind of short, but to make up for it, the next chapter's really intense! BTW, I DON'T own Baudelaire or Spearmint. This arc is merely tribute to great Lilo and Stitch authors and artists and I hope that they enjoy what I'm trying to do. It's like a really BIG piece of fan art! **

**Now then, enjoy this preview of the next chapter!**

**Haley: No matter who gets in our way, we'll defeat them!**

**Nightwing: You can't beat me with your level of power...**

**???: We'll see about that! Let's rock his world, sisters!**

**Dr. Rupert: Why does Haley fight so hard?**

**Nightwing: That monster you call "Master" RUINED my partner's life...**

**Haley: Jake...I will avenge you! **

**Dr. Rupert: All this and more on the next "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"!**


	19. Assault of the Fate Sisters!

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

**サイレント刺客：運命の姉妹の攻撃！**

**The Silent Assassins: Assault of the Fate Sisters!**

SOME TIME EARLIER, WHEN DR. RUPERT WAS STILL LOOKING FOR ALLIES…

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" The light blue experiment laughed as she covered her mouth. "Oh come on, you're not taking me seriously!" She said, curling her squirrel-like tail slightly as her big tuft of hair bobbed at the front top of her head. "I guess I'll have to MAKE you take me seriously…"

"I was thinking the same thing." The dark dragon said.

"**ATER!**" His book owner yelled as the dark dragon sent a big, pulsing orb of dark energy at his foe.

"Ha! That attack won't stop my own!" Leri laughed as she raised her own hand up.

"**HIBANI!**" Her book owner hollered. Jumping into the air, Leri sent a blast of pulsing pale blue energy flying out, which then whizzed up, over the dark energy orb and right at the dragon.

"Ha! Whatcha think of-"

THA-WHACK!

The dragon knocked it to the side with his arm. Granted his arm was bruised slightly, but he just frowned.

"…that…" Leri gulped.

"Are you going to take this **seriously** or not? Use your full power, youngling." The experiment named Nightwing demanded, clenching his clawed fist.

"DAMN IT!" Leri snarled as her book owner spoke again. "**SIPU-KU!**"

Raising her hands into the air, Leri closed her eyes as bolts of blue light shot forth from the ground, then swirled down at the two foes. "Ha-HA! Can't dodge this one! So whatcha gonna do?" She giggled.

"Nightwing, go." Haley said, smirking.

Nightwing nodded, jumping away.

"WHAT?!? What experiment would just-"

But Leri soon saw why Nightwing had jumped away. Spinning around in a graceful pirouette, his book owner dodged every single one of the beams, then finally leapt up through the air and landed with a bow.

"H-How did she?!" Leri gasped.

"Easy…she's gotten tough for this fight." Nightwing said, raising his hand up. Leri turned to the side too late…

"**ACERBUS!**"

THA-WHOOM! Her book was blasted into oblivion and she vanished…

And somebody ELSE appeared. Waving a white flag, Dr. Rupert and Page approached the two…

…

…

…

… "So that's how the current situation is." Dr. Rupert explained, folding his paws. "We must join together in order to-"

"I refuse." Nightwing said.

"WHAT?!" Dr. Rupert gasped.

"Why should I join your group? It's not my place to protect weaklings." He remarked softly. "I'm not going to help you out, choir boy…and my rival's joined up with you, remember? Use some logic."

"But the Master of Shadows controls many experiments!" Page insisted. "Ms. Long, please, surely you must understand!" He begged.

But then Page gasped. There was a horrible, intense glare in Haley's eyes.

"I am very sorry, but I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." She said, pointing out of the door of the hotel apartment they were in. "NOW."

"_Wh-what's this intense feeling I'm getting from her?"_ Page thought to himself in fear.

"I do appreciate the information regarding the Master's whereabouts, but he happens to be my personal enemy…so I'm going to tell you something to keep in mind, and you'd better tell your friends this too…"

Her eyes glinted in the light. "Do not TOUCH him…because if you do…you'll make me very…**unhappy**!"

"So **don't**…get in our way." Nightwing demanded.

"You're not bluffing. You mean to take them on even if you die. Why?" Dr. Rupert asked. "Unless…" He frowned slightly. "Master can manipulate hearts…he did something to somebody you care deeply for, didn't he?"

"Yes." Haley said softly. "His true name is 086, Shadow…and he took control of my brother and stole his happiness away. But that info is a freebie. You're not getting _anything _else out of me."

With that, she pointed at the door. Seeing that there wasn't anything else they could do, Page and Dr. Rupert left, wondering if Haley really COULD beat Shadow.

PRESENT

…

…

…

…as it were, Nightwing and his book owner Haley were currently facing down three experiments of Shadow's who looked very…intimidating. All of them were women, and all of them had very dark grey fur with yellow eyes and black pupils. They had light grey fur at the top of their head…the first, the leader, had longer hair, while the second one had very long, spiky antennae, and the third was rather plump and irritable-looking.

Snafu was sitting on the plump one's shoulder. "Have you said your prayers yet?" He asked smugly.

"Are you serious? You cannot beat me with your low level of power." Nightwing admonished them, shaking his head sadly.

"Blow them away, Nightwing! **All** that stand in our way! You can BEAT these losers." Haley laughed, clenching her fist.

"You…you!!!" Snafu clenched his "fist" and shook it angrily at Eclipse, hopping up and down. There was one other experiment hovering above them…a purple experiment that resembled Stitch who had beautiful blue eyes…

"You won't be laughing for long, Nightwing!" Snafu growled. "You spoiled brat!"

"Taking us on directly? Pretty brave. For that I respect you." The long-antennae girl said, smiling.

"To be honest though, such a direct approach is idiotic." The fat girl admitted.

"Well, it can't be helped. Obviously…" The leader brushed some hair aside. "He doesn't know who we are."

Eclipse continued to approach, a calm expression on his face. The leader turned to face the floating one. "Baudelaire, don't interfere with the fight."

"Oh, I won't." She said, hovering back.

"Hey hold on!" Snafu said, pointing at her. "You need to fight with us too-"

WHACK!

The fat girl knocked him off and to the ground. He groaned and rubbed his head. "What was THAT for?!" He wanted to know.

"YOU'RE not needed either, tentacle-boy. SCRAM or I'll be having tako-yaki for lunch!" She added hungrily.

"U-Understood!" Snafu mumbled, scrambling back.

The three took up battle poses, all standing together. Baudelaire crossed her arms, sighing. "These three, 100 years ago, were deadly warriors known as the "Fate Sisters", sent by Dr. Chansey to prove their mettle in the great contest…few could match their power when the sisters were together! Malice, Vanity and Spite…they're all silent assassins whose powers aren't to be taken lightly!"

All of the experiments were paired up with three girls with long black hair and deeply tanned skin. They looked very out of place there in the desert, wearing Prada and tank tops…

"Malice is my name." The leader experiment said.

"I'm Vanity." The girl with the long antennae said.

"I'm Spite." The fat one said.

"Let's get started then." Nightwing said. "This will…be fun." He admitted, grinning evilly.

"I'll start things off…" Malice said, twirling her body and summoning up a large shield. It was made of pure black and seemed to be…good lord! A single blood-red eye opened up in the middle of it as Malice snapped her other fingers and formed a large lance with a HUGE, bladed tip at the end, which also had a large red eye in the middle.

"We might not even need our book keepers to beat you!" Malice crowed, rushing at Nightwing. She leapt into the air and stabbed downward just as Nightwing flipped backwards. She frowned. "Then again…better play it safe."

"**Warugi!"** Her book owner yelled. Malice's living lance grew in size as she whizzed it back at Nightwing with almost impossible speed…but he quickly backflipped again, dodging it.

"Hmm. A fast one! So you're hanging in pretty well…but can you handle THIS?"

"**URAMI**!" Her book owner yelled. Malice spun around and around, slashing with the blade. Nightwing continued to jump back over and over, dodging it. Then he finally jumped up into the air, and quickly thrust his taloned foot out, stomping her on the face and knocking her back.

"**ISHU**!" Spite's book owner cried out. Spite rolled up into a ball as a venomous aura surrounded her. She shot herself at Nightwing, rolling across the ground, intending to flatten him. Jumping up in the air, he twirled his body and then landed expertly on the ground, crossing his arms.

Spite came rolling back, trying for another go…

THA-WHAM!

He stopped her in her tracks and FLUNG her through the air. She hit the ground, uncurling and lay there, moaning softly.

"Guess we can't go easy on you!" Vanity laughed.

"Will you fight seriously, or will I have to target your book owners?!" He growled.

THAT did it. The sisters got up, eyes aglow with red. While THIS was happening, Snafu tugged on Baudelaire, trying to get her to fight. "Come on, we need your help!"

"No you don't." She said. "When the girls get serious…the tide of battle turns."

"Really? AWESOME!" Snafu said happily.

"Try THIS, big boy." Spite said, curling up into a ball as that venomous aura surrounded her.

"That dumb move again? I thought I said not to-"

Then, suddenly, she sank into the ground as easily as one sinks into the ocean. Nightwing blinked, eyes wide.

_This_ might be interesting. Before he knew what was happening, the ground beneath him began to crack! Realizing he had seconds to react, he leapt into the air…

But…

**"SAITO-TAI!"** Spite's book owner yelled.

The venomous aura leapt out from the ground, grabbing Nightwing's leg, then curling around his body. He fell to the ground with a "THA-THUD", all wrapped up.

"**ONMEN**!" Vanity's book owner called. Vanity's antennae whipped up into the air and glowed as she jumped up, firing off beams of darkness from them that struck all around Nightwing, sending pieces of ground and dust flying everywhere. And then…

"_KIYAAAAH_!" Malice leapt up into the air, lance held high, bringing it down with a THA-THUNK!

"Heh. Too easy." She remarked.

Then her lance SHATTERED into a thousand pieces before their eyes. "WHAT?!" She screamed.

The dark aura that had surrounded Nightwing dissolved and the dust cloud vanished, revealing him to be standing there, unharmed, much to the surprise of the Fate Sisters.

"That's amazing!" Snafu yelled. "That experiment's not normal at all!"

"Yes…he has a strong fighting spirit." Baudelaire realized. "And the girl too…I can feel it pulsing inside…"

"Nightwing…you want to end the fight quickly to become king as fast as possible." Haley said quietly. "And I've grown stronger too…now…I can finally fight at my full potential!"

"Hmm. I guess we'll have to use THAT move." Malice remarked.

"Oh, do we _have_ to? He's kinda cute…" Vanity admitted.

"It's always the cute ones that get to you." Spite commented. "I wanna finish this up so I can eat something."

"Is that ALL that's on your mind? Let's just do this already!" Malice told the others. Vanity sighed and closed her eyes…and a THIRD eye opened up in the middle of her forehead, far larger than the other two! And then ANOTHER eye opened up in the middle of Spite's head, and one from Malice's head!

It made Nightwing frown. This…seemed odd. Odd and disturbing.

"Now you're going to find out why they're good assassins." Baudelaire told Snafu, crossing her arms as Vanity, Malice and Spite took a triangular formation around their prey.

All of the book owners yelled out the same, exact spell. "**_AKUI!!!_**"

Waves were sent out…silent, invisible…and they struck Nightwing hard. He fell to the ground, gritting his teeth and gasping. Slowly but surely a dome surrounded him and the Fate Sisters, dark and foreboding in appearance.

"That's the attack?"

"Yes. You can't see it coming, so you can't counter." Baudelaire explained. "Plus it increases the air pressure three to five times the standard condition."

It felt like his body was being torn to pieces! Chunks of ground floated all around him as he growled, sweat pouring down his scales. _Get up, get UP!_

"Stop horsing around, Nightwing!" Haley shouted, rushing at the dome. Unfortunately the three book owners blocked her way, all wielding switchblade knives. She growled, tucking the book behind her. "Don't screw with me…I'm from New York!" She yelled, leaping at them.

Meanwhile, inside the dome, Nightwing stood up, barely, and took a deep breath…

Suddenly he realized the true horror of the dome. He couldn't HEAR anything!

**"SAITO-TAI!"**

The venomous aura of Spite struck him in the back, sending him flying through the air to hit the ground.

**"HAN'I!"**

Malice raised her hand and a glowing black ball formed. It soared through the air, striking Nightwing in the face and sending him flopping down. He tasted blood and snarled…even though he couldn't hear it. He could only feel the pain…

"How pitiful. When you can't hear, you're not much of a match at all." Malice laughed.

Vanity unleashed her antennae-zapping attack and Nightwing's body was pounded with dark energy. Meanwhile, Haley watched him being pummeled from outside and her eyes widened in shock, concern…and anger.

"How dare you…" She hollered, rushing towards the dome. "Pissing me a New York girl's not good for your health!"

She ran inside the dome towards the still form of Nightwing…only to be knocked to the ground by Malice, who smirked coldly and turned towards her sisters.

"Oh look…a fresh soul." She remarked happily. "Spite, be a dear and tenderize the meat a little."

"Certainly…" Spite said, cracking her knuckles.

They REALLY should have been paying attention to the girl and her experiment and not looking at each other.

"**ATER!**"

Spite was sent flying through the air by a pulsing orb of dark energy. Vanity had time to scream before…

"**ATRAE!**"

Waves of dark energy sent HER flying! Then only Malice and the book keepers were left…

"**ACERBUS!**"

Raising his hands, Nightwing called forth a HUGE, pulsing orb of darkness that had waves of purple swirling around within as it rose up into the air, sending golden sparkles flying to the ground. It knocked Malice away and caught the book keeper's books in it's path…

Malice was lucky that the book was obliterated before she and the others could be. She and her sisters vanished with a final wail, leaving Baudelaire and Snafu to gasp at Nightwing's strength.

"WOAH…how could this happen? The fanon experiments LOST?"

"We'd better go tell the Master of Shadows." Baudelaire said, flying off with Snafu running quickly after her.

…

…

…

…Nightwing and Haley looked at each other. "So the humans were being controlled by a "Master of Shadows", huh? Sounds like HIS work." Nightwing said quietly.

"And unfortunately we couldn't kick his ass in person." Haley muttered.

"Those experiments were an incredibly annoying pain. More so than most." Nightwing admitted.

"Just wait…" Haley said. "If you think for one moment you'll get away with what you've done to my brother…GRRR…"

…

…

…

… "Jake, what's wrong?"

Haley looked over at her big brother with a concerned expression on her face as Jake walked back into the living room, then sat down on the couch, his black and green-tinted hair all messed up. He tried to get it back down, but then gave up and just lay on the couch, hand on his stomach, other hand dangling over the end of the couch.

"Another mission." He said. "I'm just…I should be doing REAL extracurricular stuff like getting into music, or joining the skateboarding crew or something. Instead I'm up almost all night thanks to Dragon business."

"Chin up bro, things are mellowing on the magical front, remember?"

"…yeah…but I feel like I don't just get to be…well, MYSELF." Jake insisted. "At least, at the end of the day…" He smiled at Haley. "I can always come home to you, Haley."

Haley felt herself blush. "Aw, that was so corny in the SWEETEST way!" She laughed. "Hey, want me to go get some pizza?"

"Hells yeah. With cheesy crust, please." Jake asked.

Haley took her scooter out, heading over to the shop, smiling happily. She continued to think about how wonderful it was to have a brother to look up to like Jake. His duties as American Dragon had been heavier and heavier ever for the past two months, yet he'd always come back home to take care of Haley, even when everything had gone so wrong for her…

In NYC, the existence of magical creatures was a well-kept secret…but for those who didn't have magical powers, they were envious and hateful of those that did. And when Jake's family had been ousted as dragons, Haley had soon found her so-called "friends" didn't truly give a damn about her.

She had tried to take the easy way out…which was, in reality, a hard and terrible road…

Then Jake, whom she had been ignoring for the past two years to spend time with her friends, had saved her in her darkest hour and had reminded her of who she was and what she was meant to be one day. She owed him her life and love.

Then her phone rang as she finished ordering the pizza at the shop. "Hello?"

"Great news, Haley!" Her mother announced. "Your father and I just finished speaking with the Council…he's been accepted and will have his rank increased! All his hard work's paid off, now he'll be able to represent America at the Council next year!"

Haley grinned happily. Jake had been accepted onto the Council? He'd been trying for quite some time to work hard at being the American Dragon and now all his work had paid off…he would become an active member of the Council and would finally gain respect, while Haley would become the new in-training like he had been. Their dream was to one day be on the council together, with Jake and Haley being the youngest American Dragons ever accepted on the council.

At last, Jake could relax! Being a council member meant a lot less fighting warlocks and trolls. Now he could take some time off and just be himself…

Unfortunately she never made it home. Screams alerted her to the sound of people in trouble and she dropped the pizza, running in the direction of the cries only to find…

The park was burning. People were dead on the ground or slowly dying…and there was Jake, clasping a book, smirking.

"J-Jake?" Haley spoke quietly.

"How do you like it? I call it "art"." A voice said, appearing next to Jake. He resembled a koala in some regards, only he had a cone-like head, with dark grey fur and blood red fur lining down his chest and stomach. He had extremely long, red claws and black eyes that had no soul within them.

"Jake, what are you doing? You're supposed to PROTECT people, not hurt them…" Haley whimpered.

"Those people are evil, Haley. They had to go. I can punish those that hurt others all I want with 086 here. His name's Shadow, and he's given me the power over life and death. Isn't it amazing, Haley? Who cares about some dumb council job!"

"**Y-You** did this!" Haley shouted, pointing at the koala-like thing. "What the hell did you do to my brother?!?"

"I just fiddled with his mind a bit." 086 explained. "His heart was too strong for me to twist into **_hating_**, so I made his mind a little deluded. Now he only sees the sins of others. You're…" He smiled coldly. "You're his sister?" He walked over to her, smiling gleefully. "Let me tell you a little about myself, young human. I'm Shadow, and I come from the laboratory of an alien scientist far away from here. I was sent here in a competition to determine who the greatest of all experiments is. Many people will be hurt naturally, but…"

He smiled even more broadly, showing off fangs. "THAT'S what makes it interesting. Your ugly minds are so easily bent, your hearts so quick to emotion. At first your brother wanted to destroy me because he could tell I was evil…" Shadow waved a claw in the air. "So I opened up his mind to new ideas, heh-heh-heh-heh…"

"You're lying! That person's not my brother! Jake's a kind person who'd never hurt others!" Haley shouted.

"Haley…" Jake spread his arms at the wreckage as the flames leapt higher and higher into the air, like some sick, twisted pyre. "Look at this…I didn't even have to use my dragon powers. I can punish evil twice as well now. Everyone here sinned and had to be punished. Why can't you be happy for me?"

Haley felt tears fill her eyes. She fell to her knees, sobbing silently.

"So sorry, little Haley." 086 said softly in a deceptively kind voice as he lifted her chin up in his long claws. "But for me to win, I needed your brother working for me. That's just the way it goes. And if you get in my way, I'll have to kill you too…" He remarked, stepping back and going over to Jake.

"You're not…JEALOUS, are you?" Jake asked. "Then you'll have to be punished, Haley."

"…_Jake_…" Haley whimpered.

"Punishment is necessary, Haley…punishment is good." Jake spoke, nodding his head. "**AKUHEI!**"

Smirking coldly, 086 raised a single claw up as a blood red ball of light formed, getting bigger and bigger. When it had reached a good enough size, he flicked his claw, and it whizzed towards Haley, who screamed, covering her face as she wailed in sorrow.

…

…

…

… "Hmm…I wonder if she's dead. Oh well. Come on, Jake." 086 laughed, walking off with Jake following behind.

The dust cleared away a few minutes later, and Haley looked up at a dragon with scales dark as night.

"I'm experiment 561, Nightwing." He said, tossing a book down in front of her. Some blood dripped down from the back of his head where the attack had hit him, but he ignored it. "Try reading this."

…

…

…

…Haley clenched her fist. "You stole my brother from me." Looking up at the sky, she unleashed her sorrow and rage in a howl. **"086! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!"**

ELSEWHERE…

"Hmm…I heard some noises…something tells me I'd better go check it out."

"Alright, do whatever. I'm trying to play with XR here…even if he doesn't respond at all."

"Fine, fine. Sorry I can't stick around, but I can feel it! Their SOULS are calling to me…"

He walked off, leaving the others behind and bringing his book keeper with him. "I, Ovni the UFO, will show them my strength!"

"Let's show them what you've got." His book owner said. He was a slightly plain-looking boy with glasses and rather dark messy hair, who wasn't wearing a shirt, but had a big jacket on instead. He lifted his backpack up and smiled. "Time to party!"

**Author's Note:**

**Hope you liked that chapter! I hope Jojo, aka Stitchfreak626, enjoyed this too. The Fate Sisters of Vanity, Malice and Sprite belong to her. Please review AND enjoy another sneak preview!**

**Nick: Who the heck are you?**

**???: Ha-ha-ha! I'm an opponent the likes of which you've NEVER fought before!**

**Chopsuey: He's a CLOWN...like YOU!**

**Nick: He's ridiculous...AND strong! We're gonna need a clever stratergery to beat him!**

**Yuuku: You mean STRATEGY.**

**Spud: Dancing, Crazy Women and Melony Goodness are coming your way on the next "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"!**


	20. The Unusual Fighter, Ovni the UFO!

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

**異例のファイター：誰が****UFO****のオヴニーは何ですか？**

**The Unusual Fighter! Who IS Ovni the UFO? **

**-------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Ah!" Yuuku said, spreading her arms wide as they stood on a terrace. "The sky…the beautiful blue sky, how I've missed you!"

"And there's water running through here." Crystallene remarked, pointing at a small little gargoyle statue that was pouring water down a long chute in the ground, going into a big pool.

"Yes, the ruins apparently get water from a natural spring, kind of like how a house might get it from straight from a well. It's the good stuff." Nick said, taking a drink. "Good thing it's not hot spring water…boiled water wouldn't be drinkable-"

SPLOOSH!

"AHHH." Chopsuey said, lying on his back in the pool. "I feel so calm."

"YOU BIG JERK!" Crystallene shouted, strangling his neck. "YOU'RE RUINING OUR WATER!"

"AAA! IT'S STRANGA-LEEN CRYSTALLENE ALL OVER AGAIN!" A frightened Morpholomew moaned, covering his eyes. Heartwing took the opportunity to run as far away as he could, actually leaving the room!

"Just drink from upstream!" Yuuku laughed, taking out a cup from her backpack. "We should RELAX here."

After they'd relaxed for a little while, Nick addressed them all. "Okay, we've still got a ways to go." Nick insisted, putting a map down on the ground. "Look. The tower…that's where Master's got the thing that empowers the fanon line experiments. All the way…here, above "A"." He pointed at the top. "We're right here at "C".

"Woah, we've got a long ways to go…" Morpholomew said.

"Hey look everyone! Who's hungry!" Spud asked, holding up his…

BOOBS!?

"WHAT THE!?!" Everyone shouted.

"I had a feeling we'd be hungry, so I brought melons!" He said, pulling out two melons from his shirt. "Want some?"

FIVE SECONDS LATER…

"GLUB-GLUB-GLUBAAAAAHHH!"

Nick was dunking Spud's head under the water over and over again. "THAT'LL TEACH YOU, YOU PERVY LITTLE NEEEERD!" Nick yelled.

"WATCH THE CAAAAP!" Spud yelled.

Nick calmed down and let Spud get back up. "Fine, fine." He said. "I've got a hunting knife in my pack." He took the first melon and began to carve it up so everyone could enjoy some.

"Hey, Spud, what are you doing NOW?" Morpholomew asked after he finished off his piece and watched the others eat theirs.

Spud was standing on his hands. "Since we've got time to kill I'm doing some exercise!"

"Shouldn't you rest? You were whacked around like a baseball by Spearmint!" Morpholomew muttered.

"Ha! I'm fine, guys! Look!" He stood on ONE hand. "Look what I can dooo!"

"Oh FINE, if an enemy comes, you can beat him yourself, ya crazy…" Nick snickered.

"Hello!" The experiment said, waving at them.

"I'm from New York, we're naturally strong!" Spud said, getting back on his feet.

"…HELLO?" The experiment remarked.

"Yeah, he's the Iron Man!" Morpholomew insisted, curling up one "fist".

"I…AM…IRON MAN!" Spud laughed, playing on an air guitar. "HIT MY MOM WITH A FRYING PAN!"

"You're fruiter than a basket of oranges, and coming from **me**, that' saying-" Nick began.

"GRRRRR!!!"

They all turned their heads and saw a VERY annoyed fanon experiment standing there. He had a yellow frill at the top of his head which ran down over black fur, and he had grey fur beneath that black fur! The black fur only ran down to his back, the yellow frill stopping at his rump, and he had yellow-tipped ears. Most of his body was grey, and his eyes had a brownish/red tint at the bottom. He had a small yellow nose that was very cute, and he flicked his yellow frill/crest slightly with a black claw once he realized they were finally noticing him, an unmistakable aura of power arising from him.

Most interestingly, he was also wearing a silver jacket, and had a belt with weapons strapped to it. Who knows what power he had?

"AAA!" They all shouted.

"The enemy's here! Quick, get ready!" Nick shouted, grabbing his book while the others took up formation. "And he looks…"

**SFX: Angelic choir**

The yellow-crested experiment smiled happily at them.

"…angry?"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha. Glad you're finally taking me seriously! I hate it when people ignore me. My name…" He placed his claws on his chest, beaming broadly. "Is Ovni! I am Ovni the Unidentified Foreign Object, or Ovni the UFO! Can ya say that?"

"…uh, "Ovni the UFO"?" They repeated.

"Why UFO?" Nick asked.

"Because I'm a master spy!" He said simply. "All most of my prey knew of me is what they would see on their video cameras…a grey blur, an unidentified foreign object! So now you know why I'm Ovni the UFO…REMEMBER MY NAME WELL!" He growled evilly.

"AAA! HE'S PIIIISSED!" They all hollered.

"Wait…" Ovni sniffed the air. "Is that…melon I smell?"

"Yes!" Spud held a slice up. "Want one? Catch!"

He tossed it through the air and Ovni caught it. The experiment gleefully downed it in a single gulp, then spat out the rind. He held his body, hugging himself, then bounded around.

"Oh yes, yes, YES! MELOOOONS!" He laughed as he bounced here and there and EVERYWHERE, waving his hands happily.

"Uh…this guy reminds me of what happened when we gave 421 sugar…" Nick thought.

"Everyone cheer, melons are here, filled with seeds that grow out your reaaar!" Ovni sang.

"Oh heck. Just go with it!" Nick laughed, singing and dancing along. "We eat melons every day!"

"Drop your pants, burn the seeds away!" Ovni sang out.

_**Burn, burn, the seeds away!  
Make my ass safe for today!**_

_**Burn, burn the seeds away!  
Make those melons die!**_

"ALL TOGETHER NOW!" Ovni and Nick sang out.

"Oh come on…" Chops moaned as everyone but him joined in.

_**Everyone cheer, melons are here!**_

_**Filled with seeds that grow out your rear!**_

_**We eat melons every day! **_

_**Drop your pants, burn the seeds away!**_

_**Burn, burn, the seeds away!  
Make my ass safe for today!**_

_**Burn, burn the seeds away!  
Make those melons die!**_

"HA-WHAH!"

Chops leapt on top of Ovni, rope held high. "Alright guys, now I'll get him!"

They all looked at him. "Get him?" They blinked.

"You…weren't…joining in to gain his trust?" Chops asked, sweatdropping.

"I just like to sing." Nick remarked.

"Uh, Ovni cut himself loose!" Morpholomew said, pointing to the right as Ovni bounded back to his book keeper. "That's a BAD thing, right?"

"You're gonna pay for that, greenie! Now then, shall we get started?" Ovni snapped his fingers and a large laser whip levitated in the air, snaking its way out of his jacket.

"**SEKKOU!**" His book owner cried out.

They all BARELY dodged to the side just in time as the laser whip GREW in huge proportions and struck over and over. When the dust settled…a large O was left embedded in the wall, allowing more sunlight to pour in.

"You see? My attack leaves a mark…usually that's the only thing to remind people of what entered their defense systems…an O for Ovni!" He laughed. "You dodged my attacks, so you're quick. I suppose I can't go easy on you, even though you're obviously weakened from an earlier fight…"

Ovni removed his jacket, placing it on the ground. "I do hope that, despite your weakness, you'll fight with all you can. Now then…let's begin!" He announced, jumping up into the air as his guns twirled out of their holsters. They whizzed around him in a 360 degree motion, making him look almost telekinetic!

"Now here…I…GO!" Ovni shouted. Landing quickly on the ground while his guns circled around and around above him, he pointed upward.

"**ONMITSU!**" His book owner yelled. The guns lit up, and began to punch holes in the walls with incredibly strong laser blasts!

Quickly, Crystallene thrust her arms up. **"CONTEGO!" **Yuuku shouted, covering everyone with her dome shield.

"Ha! Flimsy barriers like that doesn't mean anything to my book master Ace!" Ovni insisted. "Keep pouring your heart into it!"

"Right!" The book owner insisted. The others looked at each other…the human was in agreement with…well of course it would be, it's heart was being controlled. Perhaps this control was more lax, allowing the book owner to speak some.

BUDDA-BUDDA-BUDDA-BUDDA! Everything around them was being turned into rubble by the pulsing blasts from the laser gun! "Looks like when the room's gone, you will be too." Ovni said. "Too bad, it was a nice room. The walls are being pounded, the terrace being pulverized, your shield is being cracked…"

"I can't…hold on…any longer!" Crystallene shouted.

BUDDA-BOW!

THWUMP!

"My body…blown…away…" Ovni moaned as he slid down the wall, the guns no longer firing but falling to the ground.

Everyone blinked stupidly at the sight of this.

"He shot…**himself?!?**" Nick asked, a HUGE sweatdrop appearing on his head.

Ovni moaned and managed to stagger up. "At least…Ace…is alright." He admitted quietly, blood splurting from his mouth. "I'll…still win!"

"This guy is kind of RIDICULOUS, but…so strong!" Nick whispered to himself. "Guys, we have to win this battle using as few spells as possible!"

"Right…CHAAAARGE!" Spud yelled, punching the air.

Crystallene, Morpholomew and Chopsuey all ran at full speed towards Ovni, kicking him into the air. "WOA-OHHH!" He shouted. "Ace, catch me!"

Ace quickly tucked the book away and took some steps back…THA-WHAMP! Ovni fell right onto him and they hit the ground. "…sorry Ace…" Ovni mumbled, standing back up. "How dare you KICK me like that when I was barely standing! Ooh, when I put my jacket on and use another cool spell…"

He quickly slid his jacket on. "HA! Now I'm going to…"

He began waltzing around, going left, right, left, right, back and forth! "AAA! What's the deal here!? My body isn't moving right!"

WHAM! He collided with Ace again.

"YEOW! OVNI!" Ace moaned.

"Sorry, Ace!" Ovni apologized. "I can't-AAA!" He was flopping around on the ground now. "Stop that, you stupid jacket, why are you…"

Then he turned his head and saw the reason why…his jacket was actually being rummaged through by Crystallene and Chops, who were trying to determine what things inside were weapons and what were just stupid trinkets to leave inside. If you're wondering why they didn't just throw EVERYTHING inside the jacket away, the answer's simple: they're not INCONSIDERATE.

"What?! My jacket? Then…ah-ha!" He looked down at the "jacket" on him and saw a face. "So blob, you turned yourself into my jacket? Not bad…but that's enough!"

He ripped the fake jacket off him, sending Morpholomew flying, then turned on the others. "You assholes, that's my favorite jacket!" He shouted. "Take THIS!"

"**SUPAI!**"

Ovni's belt whizzed off of him, swirling around like a big, thick discus at them. They ran for it…

"HA! That'll teach you to-"

BA-BAAAM!

His jacket was hit instead. "AAA!" Ovni yelled, tearing at his frill as his jacket went flying up onto a crevasse and hung there. "My favorite jacket! NOOOO!"

"This…guy…is…" Nick couldn't even finish the sentence.

"I'm not finished yet!" Ovni said after he'd crawled up the wall to get his jacket again. Unfortunately, all his weapons were…well, de-powered. "My power's about focusing strength on my items and lucky me…" He grinned. "I have implants."

"**Shinobiashi!"** His book owner yelled out.

He stretched his body, and a mechanical band suddenly grew, popping into view before them on his right arm. His book owner yelled out the word again and then another appeared on his left arm!

"What…the? Chops, he's up to no good!"

"I'm on it!" Chopsuey said, rushing forward.

"Stay back, greenie!" Ovni said, grinning broadly. "**Shinobitei!**" He yelled.

The metallic bands suddenly stretched out like gigantic arms, whacking Chopsuey left and right, left and right.

"This guy's strength really ISN'T something to be messed around with!" Nick realized as Chopsuey was finally knocked through the air, back towards the others.

"Now, again!" Ovni yelled.

"**Shinobiashi!"** His book owner yelled yet again. This time a metallic cup appeared around his lower region.

Well, that did it. Crystallene was** PISSED.**

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG! Rocks were flung over and over, whacking the metallic cup around the experiment's body. He shook violently, voice raised an octave. "AAA-AAA!" He yelled. "Oh geez! It's like being stuck in a can and shook around! Stop tormenting my little gentleman!" Ovni screamed at Crystallene. "Have some decency!"

"THIS from a SPY!?!" She snarled.

"THAT'S IT"! Ovni yelled. "TAKE THIS, MY GREATEST MOVE!"

"Uh oh, here it comes…" Nick realized out loud.

**"UKAGAISAGURU!"** Ace hollered.

Now the metallic bands covered Ovni's entire body, and right before their eyes he was transformed into a living weapon! He got down on all fours, maw opening wide as black and gold specks of light were drawn towards an orb of energy that was forming in front of his body…then, BUDDA-BOOWWWW! A gold and black blast of laser energy shot forth from his maw in an circular shape.

"QUICK!** KIMAIRA!**" Nick shouted. "PROTECT US!"

Chopsuey's body glowed as he summoned the ultimate spell HE had. The chimera rushed forward, claws outstretched and slamming into the beam of energy…

But…

BA-WHOOMF!

It was shot down, the aura beast dissipating into thin air.

"It was shot DOWN?!" Nick shouted. "Quick, take cover!"

Everyone dived just as the beam raced towards them…

…

…

…

…the dust settled. Ovni frowned as he saw the others collapsed in a pile against a wall. "That was your strongest spell? It didn't even have HALF my power!" He said, annoyed. "Just stay down, okay?"

"Guys…there's still a chance…to…to win…" Nick insisted. "Crystallene…Yuuku. Use…"Ministro"." Nick insisted. "With that…and a combination I've got planned…we can win…so listen carefully!"

Ovni wasn't paying attention. He was unarmored again and was calmly lying on his stomach. Finally he noticed they were getting back up.

"You're going to try again? I suppose I owe such headstrong people like you a full blast attack. Before I only used half my power…"

He began to armor back up, but before he could finish and have his head covered…

"Leave it to us, guys!" Yuuku shouted. "The Fifth Spell,** MINISTRO-SOCIUS!" **

A beautiful lance appeared in the air. Ovni blinked. They were pretty far away and it was kind of hard to see, but that seemed too…pristine…to be a normal weapon!

"Hey, stop hiding! What's that thing do?" He asked.

Then he heard a "WOAH!" and gasped. "You just stabbed one of your own!? That's disgusting!" He shouted.

"Actually…what Ministro-Socius does…" Nick said, standing back up. "Is heal the body somewhat…and restore heart power enough for a couple spells." He grinned at Ovni. "Not bad, huh?"

"So it's a healing spell. That's pretty neat, but…your ultimate spell couldn't stand up to half my power before…what do you think you can do NOW?" He asked. "Ace, get ready and-"

"KIMAIRA!"

The large chimera rose up…up…at the ceiling?

"WHAT?!" Ovni blinked. "Why would you fire at the ceiling?" He wondered. "Of course! I get it, it's a feint! You go upwards, dodging my attack, then come right down at me! Smart!" He grinned again. "But I'll just adjust my angle! NOW, ACE!"

**"UKAGAISAGURU!"** Ace yelled out, holding the book high.

WOOSH! Ovni's blast went up and at the beast, but the beast went even HIGHER, dodging the beam and going right towards the ceiling above Ovni!

THA-WHOOMP! It vanished. Ovni rolled his eyes. "Honestly, what were you trying to accomplish? I'll admit my attack missed you, but you wasted most of your energy and I've still got plenty left. Come on Ace, let's…"

Ovni suddenly noticed something on the ground. "Huh?" He picked it up. "My book?! Ace, come on, you're supposed to protect my book and not let it…"

He turned and saw…

"AAA! You have my book too? What's going on-"

Then he saw something on Ace's stomach. "Ah-HA!" Ovni shouted. "You're a fake! I can see that face, little blob!" He said, pointing at "Ace". "Now I get it, that recovery spell actually hit the kid with the green cap, the owner of the blob! The boy pretended to be recovered and launched a spell, but in reality…that spell was the blob, transformed into a chimera!" Ovni realized. "He was trying to get me to release my attack, and then he'd drop down from the ceiling and get behind me, transforming into my book owner with a fake book!"

"Uh oh!" The human moaned.

WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA! Ovni leapt on top of Ace and began whacking the CRUD out of him. "Take that and that and that!" He shouted. "That'll teach you to make a fool of me!" He finished, once Ace was on the ground, moaning in pain.

"Sorry! ALMOST had it!" A voice remarked.

Ovni looked down and saw the book he was holding…had a FACE on it.

"WHA?!?"

WHOOP! Morpholomew transformed back to normal, knocking the book away and grabbing it as he leapt up. He then stepped back and joined the rest of the group.

"See, here's what happened!" He explained to Ovni. "That guy wouldn't release the book because he was following your orders not to let go…not because he was me. I just drew a face on his stomach while he was preoccupied…I have a very light touch." Morpholomew said, holding up a magic marker. "He barely noticed it! You had your eye on the wrong thing the whole time. Shoulda been paying more attention to the extra book, Ovni!"

"Ovni?"

They all turned their heads just in time to see Heartwing enter the room. Ovni blinked.

"…421? Is…that…you?"

"Ovni?"

Then…

The two promptly ran at each other and held each other tightly, then began to dance around, singing "Allforce, Allforce, Holy Power Allforce!"

"Uh…what's going on?" Nick asked.

"421's one of my good buddies!" The spy said happily. "Why didn't you TELL me you were friends with him? Where ya been, fellow 400?"

"Huh?!" Everyone else remarked. Well, everyone but Nick.

"Wait…you're not a fanon line experiment…are you?" Nick asked.

"Got it in one! I'm experiment 453!" Ovni said proudly. He and his fellow 400 stood together. "I am a member of the 400 Line of the doctor's experiments and proud defenders of the "Holy Power Allforce"!"

"Holy Power? The little dragon's got holy power?" Nick asked.

"Oh yeah!!" Ovni began, smiling in a friendly fashion. "The remains of a planet transformed into light energy…the planet was called "Allforce", one of the mightiest forces in the universe, composed entirely of super-powered beings…angels, you could call them." He told them all. "And the 400 line was the first to have Allforce power placed inside of them…this power gives us the ability to bond with others and have them read spells from our books! Jumba eventually gave it to other experiments, even the ones that were developed BEFORE us, but we of the 400 line have always had a special relationship with it. We tend to be…different…"

He looked down. "We tend to be insulted because we're eccentric, different from the others in our personality. Jumba toned down the Allforce light injections because it made experiments…well, we 400 line ones started to _question_ him because we felt his actions were too evil. And we were always seeking to undermine him. I even started spying on him when he was in his lab! And 421 tried to kill him."

"HE TRIED TO KILL HIM!?!" They all shouted. The poor little dragon hung his head in shame.

"He felt Jumba was going to make more evil experiments and wanted to kill him to stop it. But he hesitated at the last moment, and Jumba managed to tranquilize him and dumb down his intelligence to that of a child." Ovni went on. "Now he'd NEVER kill anyone. I think Heartwing got chosen randomly, by luck of the draw, and I don't know what he wants from this contest…"

Ovni grinned. "However, I certainly know what I want." Ovni said, holding his head and fist high. "My goal…**is to end the discrimination of the 400 line!**" He shouted. "_**For those of the higher line to stop looking down on the lower!**_"

"How…beautiful." Nick said quietly.

"What do YOU want?" Ovni asked.

Before Chopsuey could explain HIS goal, it happened.

"**Ishikiri!**" A voice yelled.

Ovni was knocked through the air and he hit the ground, groaning as blood oozed from his sore mouth, and his friend stepped back, frightened…

The battle had just begun!

**Review! And enjoy this preview!**

**Nick: Who the heck...TWO of them?**

**Ovni: Careful, they're very dangerous!**

**???: What do you think you're DOING?! You're supposed to be on OUR side!**

**???: Even I know that what we're doing is wrong...**

**Chopsuey: Hope comes from an unexpected source in the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	21. Strange Bedfellows!

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

**奇妙な付き合い！****Kila****と****Heartwing****の態度を取る！**

**Strange Bedfellows! Kila and Heartwing Take A Stand!**

**---------------------------------------------------------------**

"Associating with the enemy? How DARE you, 453. Master let you in on this thinking he could trust you and you stab us in the back?" The attacker remarked angrily. He was a tough-looking experiment with spiked ears and a small green eye in the center of his dark grey fur. There was a stripe around each arm, beginning at the center of his palms and ending at his shoulder. The left was white, the right one black, and he had hooves instead of feet. A right fang was sticking out of his mouth…and he had big, black eyes.

"It's really unwise to go against the master." He went on. "The Master of Shadows is far more powerful than you Ovni. You'll have to be punished."

"Wait…you guys trashed Ovni? WOWWW." The other experiment said, standing next to the first one. "Rouge, these guys are something, huh?"

This one was a female. She was wearing goggles on her head and a labcoat. She had teal fur and a light teal stomach and chest, with a pretty big nose and some long and thick strands of dark hair sticking out at the top of her head. She had a reptilian tail, strangely alluring dark gold eyes and was looking them over intently.

"104…Rouge…" Ovni panted. "And 630…Kila…"

"MORE of Jumba's creations working for Master?!" Nick remarked. "Wait…did you say **630?**"

"630's from another realm of existence…from another time and place. She was sent from a different dimension to join in the fight." Ovni explained to them. "In that dimension, the Jumba you know made some more experiments after 626, 630 here's one of them. But she got turned into a pod and was unable to return not only to her own time or world, but to her own dimension...what's more, her book owner has remained here for years."

"Her book owner?! Who's he?" Nick demanded.

Then, before their eyes, the book owners came forth. One was a man with spiky black hair who stood by Rouge…he had a red t-shirt that read "Nuke" on the front and looked vaguely punkish. The other was…a robot. A square-shaped golden head, treadmills instead of feet, a squat, cylindrical body of white with a strange insignia on the front, and purple gloves. His golden head was "floating" in a big capsule that was attached to the body, and he had big yellow eyes that looked like the end of flashlights.

"That's XR. My book owner." Kila said, gesturing at the robot. "He was chosen from some good friends of Jumba to look after me and he did great originally. Now he just follows my spell orders." She said quietly. She seemed to not be much of a people person, and her voice was slightly annoying, yet there was an unmistakable sadness in it.

"We've got to run, guys!" Nick insisted.

"RUN? Run where?" Rouge asked, pointing to his third eye as it glowed. "We're blocking the only exit, human. And you can't exactly FLY away out of the terrace…"

"**PACCHIRI!**" His book owner yelled.

His eye glistened and it was like something from science-fiction…it scanned something into existence like a super-laser-printer, dots were popped into life before their eyes, then slammed together, forming a large green orb that was spiked. The spiky orb whizzed at them at full speed…

THA-WHOOM!

Chopsuey stopped it in its tracks with his body, growling angrily.

"How intriguing. You have strength. Nobody's been able to stop it with their bare hands before." Rouge admitted.

Kila frowned, crossing her arms. _"They've used up all their reserves."_ She realized.

"I…I'm fine!" Chopsuey insisted, throwing the orb away as it slowly vanished. "But I dunno how many more of those I can take!"

They suddenly saw Kila hold up her palm…

"**IGNIS!**"

FWOOM! A large fireball began to form in her palm.

"We're beginning to…hot up!" She wisecracked.

She flung it through the air and…

FA-WHOOOOSH! It struck the wall, opening up a HUGE "window of opportunity" for our heroes. They could escape out this way!

"You missed." Rouge remarked.

"OOPS." Kila said, rolling her eyes. "Did I do THAT? How stupid I can be sometimes. I'll try again. XR?"

XR held the book up.

"Oh no! Guys, run!" Nick yelled.

"**IGN-**" XR stopped in mid spell. Rouge, who had been looking back at the interlopers, frowned. "Why isn't he finishing?"

He got his answer when he turned and looked at Kila, who was pointing her fiery palm at HIM. "What do you think you're doing?! You're not really betraying us too, are you?" He asked.

"Just like I thought, XR's programming won't let him say spells if I try to attack one of my "allies"." Kila said in a proud tone. "Well, what are you dummies staring into space for?!" She asked, annoyed with the others. "Go and run through the wall, get outta here."

"I should have seen this coming." Rouge said, holding up his arms.

"**TOBIISHI!"** His book owner hollered.

Rouge's stripes LIFTED up and flung themselves at the heroes, hissing like snakes! But Kila suddenly jumped up, and bat-like wings sprouted from out of her lab coat as she whizzed through the air with XR, getting in front of the group and holding up her palms.

"I can't "ATTACK" but I can "DEFEND"!" She guessed. "XR?"

**"FLAMA-PARIES!"** XR cried out.

A wall of flame arose from the ground, stopping the stripes, which hissed and began slashing at the flames over and over. Kila frowned in annoyance and frustration.

"I dunno how much longer I'm gonna last!" She yelled. "It's no good…our hearts are connected like they used to be!"

"Wait…you mean to say that…" Nick began.

"Even I know what we're doing is wrong." Kila insisted. "Now come on, get going!"

"I won't let you hurt my friend!" Ovni shouted, rushing at Rouge with the intent to stop him…

But he didn't count on the book keeper having a knife. Before Ovni knew it, he was stabbed in the arm and he went down with a scream. Heartwing sobbed as he saw "Nuke" lift Ovni's book up and light it on fire.

"421! I'm asking of you…be strong!" Ovni yelled out. "Everyone said the 400 line was a series of failures…PROVE THEM WRONG!" He cried out as his body vanished. _"I'm **begging **you!"_

And with that…he was gone. Nick felt horrible…Ovni had been a truly good person with noble goals, somebody who'd wanted to help them and who had tried to save them. He had been sent back too soon…

And Heartwing felt something inside him burn…

Chops turned to Kila. "I can understand why Ovni helped, since he wasn't a fanon line experiment, but aren't you afraid of being turned into a pod again?" He wanted to know.

"Yeah, Rouge might go tell Master, but I don't give a damn." Kila said quietly. "We fanon experiments…WE'RE the ones at fault, not YOU guys…"

Chop's eyes went wide…then he nodded. "Spud, Yuuku, take your partners and go!" He insisted.

"Alright dude…but you'd better not die on us!" Spud insisted.

"Here…"

Nick tossed Crystallene Chops's book. "If you keep it safe, Chops will be just fine." He said happily.

"You want it, you got it!" Crystallene insisted, clenching her fist. "Let's go, Yuuku!"

"We'll be back!" Morpholomew yelled as he and the others ran.

"If you think I'd LET you leave, you're not as smart as I had hoped…" Rouge remarked coldly, raising his hands…but just then Chopsuey kicked him square in the face and he was sent flying back, hitting the ground hard. Chops raced back over to the others, smirking at Rouge.

Heartwing looked over in amazement as they ran off, then turned to face Kila, XR, Nick and Chopsuey. Then he growled and clenched his teeth, holding his head as he quivered.

"Heartwing, leave this to Nick and I!" Chops said. "You can't do anything…I'm surprised you followed us here knowing that…"

"Heartwing…I think I understand." Nick said quietly, turning to face him. "I know you hate fights."

Heartwing looked up, lip quivering as if he was going to cry.

"I know now. You're a kind person. You don't like me because I'm a book owner that makes Chopsuey fight so hard…isn't that right?"

Heartwing blinked slowly, then looked away.

"Hey, what do you mean by all that, Nick?" Chops asked.

"**Gecchouseki!"** The book owner of Rouge announced as Rouge stood up.

"We'll have to talk later…look." Nick said, pointing forward. Rouge's body was being covered in strange, green light. It was like digital armor was surrounding him, made of tiny 1's and 0's. He smiled at them in a confident fashion.

"Go quickly, Heartwing…and thank you for everything." Nick said gently.

"…gi…gi…**GIIIRIIIIII!!!!**" He howled, rushing as fast as he could into the hallway that the others had run into.

"If you think I'd just let you WALTZ away, you're quite wrong!" Rouge announced, rushing forward and flinging a punch.

"Chops, throw me!" Nick yelled.

Chops grabbed ahold of Nick and tossed him through the air. Rouge turned around just in time to see Nick strike the book from Nuke's hand. Growling, Rouge ran as fast as he could after the book, jumping up through the air and grabbing it. "Hmph!" He said, touching back down on his hooves. "Don't play around with me." He said, turning around…

Only to find nobody was there. He frowned. "Where'd they go?"

Outside, on a ledge beneath the terrace, Nick, XR, Gash and Kila were sitting.

"Allright…we can come up with a plan here." Nick panted, whispering.

"Yeah, but…why'd you say that Heartwing hates you because you're a book keeper?" Chops asked.

"It's simple…" Nick said. "Heartwing's a child, isn't he? He hates fighting. I've never seen him really get mad at somebody or snap at them or even chase after a bird. He's pacifistic."

"…I see…" Chopsuey said quietly.

"And also, I saw Heartwing searching for a book owner out on the streets whenever I'd go out shopping." Nick said. "I thought he was trying to find his book owner, but then I noticed that he'd try and talk to people who were smoking, and then after that, people who were all alone, or who looked tough…people who might have lighters. They didn't do anything for him though." Nick sighed. "He thought they'd burn his book so he could go back home and not have to fight, and he approached me that time, hoping I'D burn the book because I would want to get rid of competition." Nick said quietly.

"He must be so SCARED of fighting…" Chopsuey thought out loud.

"Yet he followed us this far…" Nick mused. "He doesn't want to fight, but he wants to help his friends so badly…his two strongest desires are clashing…"

"YOU'D BETTER COME OOOUUUT!" Rouge yelled. "IF YOU DON'T, I'LL GO STRAIGHT TO TELL ON LITTLE KILA! THEN SHE'LL GET TURNED INTO A POD AGAIN!"

"I don't know if it'll work, but I DO have a plan…" Nick said, smiling. "Now here it is…"

…

…

…

…Rouge crossed his arms, his body still covered in 1's and 0's as he saw Kila look him over.

"You have been…very naughty." He remarked, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "I'm going to have to punish you…" He told her, re-opening them…

To see she was pointing a fiery palm at him.

"What do you think you're doing? You know your powers wont' work on a fanon-" He began.

"**IGNIS!**"

FA-WOOOM!

Nick grinned. He and Chopsuey were RIGHT behind Rouge…they'd snuck up on him without him noticing! Now the attack could…

He ducked to the side. He was…faster than…they thought…

They barely ducked to the side in time. Kila rolled her eyes. "Told you it wouldn't work. Be glad I used my weakest spell."

"Didn't…think…he'd be that fast!" Nick moaned.

"Idiot. Never presume." Rouge remarked, stepping towards them.

"I can take him!" Chops growled.

"No you can't, not in your current state!" Kila said, rushing forward and throwing her hands in front of them.

**"FLAMA-PARIES!"** XR cried out. The wall of flames arose…

"That won't work anymore." Rouge said calmly, thrusting his arm forth.

PA-POW!

The flames were dissipated, Kila and XR hit the ground and Nick and Chops along with them.

"_Damn it…I underestimated them…this is…it? We're…gonna lose HERE?"_ Nick thought.

Kila looked them over, then slowly stood up, dusting herself off and walking in front of them.

"Rouge, wait." She said quietly. "Take me to the Master of Shadows or do whatever. Just let 'em go." She said, spreading her arms.

"Kila…" Nick muttered.

_"I knew you couldn't finish things…dummies. But still…I'm glad, even if only for a little while…to have met such interesting guys like you."_ Kila thought.

"Hmph. Naivety does not become you, Kila." Rouge remarked. "I'll break every single one of your limbs and serve you all up on a platter to Master."

He lunged at her…

"**NOOOOOOO!!!**"

They all turned their heads in surprise.

"Heartwing…can speak real WORDS?" Nick gaped as he saw the little dragon standing there.

"EVIL…EVIL…EVIL!" Heartwing gasped out, panting heavily as he stood by a…a HUMAN! One with long hair and surfer-style clothes.

"You're…you're 421's…book master?" Nick gasped.

"Come on, dude! Let's show him our strength!" The long-haired man said. He had a dark blue surfer-style shirt, cargo pants that were dark khaki in color, and was wearing sandals. He had on a shark tooth necklace and was definitely a native Hawaiian. "**Insons!**"

The dragon rose up into the air on it's taloned feet, stretching it's arms out. Suddenly it was covered in a white aura, and a beautiful golden halo arose around it's head. The aura draped over it's body, changing into a tunic, and his wings grew slightly larger. Golden rings appeared around the dragon's wrists, and the heart insignia on it's chest glowed brightly, showing off a little red cross in the middle.

"Don't be afraid, little dude." The man insisted. "Don't be afraid…"

…

…

…

…He had hated the book keepers and the experiments who did evil things. But most of all he was scared. Scared of the fighting.

He didn't want to fight. He thought it was horrible. Turning nice people into dangerous warriors that would crush people in a moment's notice. It seemed too cruel…

Then one day he'd met somebody who had changed his opinion of what a "book keeper" truly was. He'd been showing off his book in the middle of Kokaua town and for a brief moment his mind drifted to the idea of simply burning his own book when…

"RAR!"

Aw, a doggie!...

Big…doggie…

CHOMP!

BAD DOGGIE! It had taken his book! He ran after it, waving his hands above his head. But he hadn't even gone two blocks when a man appeared…

The man smelled kinda musty and looked dirty…but then he'd patted the dog right on the head. "Hey, that book ain't yours. Drop it."

The dog had obeyed and hand walked off. The man had promptly given the book back to him. "This is yours, right little dude?"

Then he'd looked INTO it. "That's odd. I can't read most of it, but those words are really clear…so you must be 421."

He smiled. "Groovy! I'm Dude, little dude. And you already know the doc, right?"

Dr. Rupert appeared behind him with Page. "Yes, this is experiment 421. 421…meet your book owner."

"Zan-zan-zan…" Heartwing muttered.

"Hey…I get it." Dude told him, patting his head. "You're scared of fighting, huh?"

Dr. Rupert blinked. "You…could sense it? His pacifistic nature?"

"The little guy's scared. But listen little dude…I'm not gonna force ya to do ANYTHING. You wanna do something, you do it because YOU wanna do it…alright?"

"..." Heartwing nodded slowly.

"You're a special man." Dr. Rupert admitted. "Perhaps you've had a "spiritual awakening"…something within you can see what lies within another's heart."

"Yeah, he saw through your fib about being a great sushi chef right away!" Page laughed.

"And you weren't fazed at all when I explained the experimental contest that was taking place here on Earth." Dr. Rupert went on.

"I'll be waiting for you." Dude said. "Dr. Rupert wants you to drop this letter off in Nick's mailbox…it's got plane tickets that'll take him and his friends to the Andes, where the 100-year-old experiments are. I'll go there too, I LOVE vacations." He laughed. "But I'll be waiting. If you make the decision…if you choose to fight…I'll wait outside of town, in the dandelion fields, okay?"

"…" The little dragon was quiet for a few moments. Then he spoke.

"Oh…kay…"

…

…

…

"So…you wanna do this thing, little dude? You ain't got the shakies anymore?" Dude asked as he stood in the dandelion fields.

Heartwing nodded. Even though tears streamed from his eyes, he nodded. "GOOD." He said.

"Yes, helping your friends IS good…and you've got good eyes, y'know?" Dude said happily. "I like that. Now…" He grinned. "Let's DO THIS!"

…

…

…

…"You can do it, Heartwing! GO!"

"HAAAAAH!" The little dragon yelled, rushing forward through the air.

"HA! So you're fast, dragon! However I have speed too!" The experiment laughed, jumping to the side…

"Ha-HA!" Heartwing laughed as he suddenly swerved behind "Tubby".

"What the? You got behind me in my digitized Battle Mode?!" Rouge gasped.

Then Heartwing did more than just laugh. He SLAMMED his head into the experiment's armored chest with a cry…

Silence. Then the experiment sneered. "Power's still my forte!" He raised his fist and slammed Heartwing away. The little dragon fell down, but jumped back up, growling and slamming into the same spot again.

"No matter…"

WHAM!

"How many…"

BAM!

"Times you…"

WHAM!

"Hit me…"

BAM!

"You can't WIN!"

SLAM!

Heartwing was sent to the ground, gasping in pain. He crawled back up, his angelic little toga battered, panting with every breath. Rouge laughed coldly. "Now I'll just finish you-"

CRICK.

He looked down at his chest. "Wh-what?!" There was a HUGE crack in his armor. "You actually?! Not possible!"

"It's more than possible! It's groovy, dude!" Dude laughed, flipping his book back open. "**Insons-Draco!**"

Heartwing's body was covered in a white aura once again, and his halo glowed more brightly than before…but now the rings around his wrists were glowing brightly as well. He flew forward at full speed, and SLAMMED into the experiment…

KRAK-KRAKOW!

The armor was blown into chunks! The experiment fell back, grabbing his chest. "You…little! Take THIS!"

He jumped forward and punched the ground, then kicked a chunk of ground that was sent flying up right at Dude…

But Dude just ducked and snapped his fingers, grinning. And just like that, Heartwing twirled through the air, striking the experiment's legs. He went bowling over! Then Dude called out "Rock and Roll" and Heartwing jumped on top of the experiment. Then Dude smiled.

"Nice."

Turning around and smiling for a brief moment, Heartwing then ROLLED the experiment right into the wall, then leapt off of him. KA-BOOOM! The wall and the experiment collided, and the "poor guy" was covered in stone. Groaning, he tried to stand up.

"This…is…not…over! I am still capable of…using…using spells…" Rouge gasped out.

"Stick a fork in ya, you're totally DONE."

The experiment gasped as Dude held up the book that was HIS. "My book!" Rouge growled. "How'd you?!"

"Little dude's smile told me everything. I knocked out the book owner while you weren't looking." He held up a lighter. "Normally I use this for my bong, but I think it's good for burning more things than weed. You've lost."

He tossed the burning book into the air and turned to face the others. "Groovy, huh?" He asked as Heartwing hopped over to him.

"How did you do all that? How did you communicate without talking?" Nick wanted to know.

"How'd you even understand his speech?" Chopsuey asked. "It's so strange…"

"I listen to the thought BEHIND the voice, man. Do that, and you can understand what ANYBODY'S saying."

"Really?" Chopsuey asked.

"Yep." Dude insisted.

"Bon-bon-bon-BON!" Heartwing said enthusiastically, waving his hands in the air.

"You want cake? Sorry little dude, I'm outta cake!" Dude said.

Heartwing's head sunk to the ground. "Ohhhh…"

"Let's try gestures!" Dude said. "Rock and roll!"

Heartwing pointed at himself. "Bon-bon!!!"

"Your name is Heartwing? I already knew that!"

"…ohhhh." His head sunk even lower. Now he was curled up in a fetal position.

"Try again! Rock and roll!"

Heartwing got an idea and began to curl his body in different positions. He was actually spelling out the characters for what he wanted. Unfortunately…

"Cleaning? I've got nothing to clean with." Dude said sadly. "I've got some brownies if you're hungry, but uh…you shouldn't really eat them. Cuz…uh…chocolate's poison to dogs, y'know."

"GAAAWWWW!" Heartwing moaned, rolling around on the floor.

"Uh. You guys…" Kila thought as she walked into the room. She held up a small, glowing little ball. "Here…this will help. Eat it."

Nick did so. It tasted like a gummy snack with sugary juice inside. In a few moments, the pain he felt was gone…and he felt much stronger!

"Woah! What is this?"

"Destiny drop. These were used to free us from the pods."

Nick gasped. "So THAT'S what he was talking about back in the fight before…please, tell us what you know about it!"

"Well, I dunno much." Kila admitted, shrugging. "The book owners for the fanon line carry drops to recharge their energy. As for where it came from, there's a HUGE crystalline thing that's got light energy sloshing around in it…that's what was used to free us. It's located at the top of the castle, and not only does it heal wounds, but it heals your heart energy as well. Furthermore, if we don't occasionally come back to bask in the thing…"

She sighed. "Apparently we'll turn back into pods. Which sucks. But…" She smirks. "I take little pieces of the thing that the Master calls the "Destiny Crystal" and stick 'em in here…" She held up a jar filled with energy drops. "You can have these." She insisted. "I've got two jars of the stuff and I don't need an extra one lying around. Besides, you gotta get moving…there was a team sent out into town…they've brought along Snafu."

"Snafu? That little tentacle guy?" Nick asked.

"Yes, he happens to be very good at finding other experiments…he'll lead his team right to your friends, so you should probably go help them. The more the merrier, right?" Kila asked.

"Thank you Kila." Nick said, nodding.

"You're a sweet dudette. Hope we meet again!" Dude said. "Let's go, Heartwing! **INSONS-DRACO!**"

Heartwing was covered in the angelic tunic again and his body pulsed. "He's strong enough to carry us three, so let's get moving!" Nick said. "Bye Kila! We'll come back!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Kila said, waving nonchalantly as they whizzed out the nearest window. "…I'll be…waiting." She said softly.

…

…

…

…Crystallene, Yuuku, Spud and Morpholomew were all relaxing on the balcony of the hotel they had reached in town. They turned to face their host, who smiled at them.

"Thanks for coming, Mr. Pleakley." Yuuku said. "I'm glad you were here to help."

"It's no problem at all!" Pleakley insisted, smiling at them. "I'm always happy to help!"

"But Nick said that you had a partner, where is he?"

"Well…look, I'd…I'd really rather not talk about it…" Pleakley said softly, sadly. "But…" He looked into her eyes. "You look really worried, Yuuku…"

"It'll be fine!" Crystallene insisted, clinging to the book. "As long as I've got Chopsuey's book he won't vanish!"

"Besides, Heartwing and Nick are with him too. They'll be alright." Spud agreed. "They got mad skills. MAAAAAD-"

"SPUD!"

"Sorry. Couldn't resist." Spud laughed.

Meanwhile, from far away and up above, Snafu was riding on top of Bloodfang, an incredibly huge griffin fanon experiment with blood-tipped wings. Smirking, the teal experiment pointed down from the griffin at the hotel.

"There they are! Hee-hee-hee! I knew they wouldn't be far away!" He laughed. He was riding along with several other experiments, all ready to "have some fun".

"Uh oh!" Pleakley yelled. "LOOK!" He shouted, pointing upward into the sky at the approaching experiments. "They've found us…RUN!"

The others turned to run…too late!

THA-WHOOM! A blast sent them plummeting to the trees below. Groaning, they slowly crawled out of the trees and to the ground below.

"Is everyone alright?" Pleakley called out, concerned.

"How intriguing." Snafu remarked as the griffin touched down and allowed Snafu and the others off. "You're not using any spells?" He grinned. "The humans must be buck tired!"

"Grrrrr…you creep!" Crystallene shouted. "They entrusted this book to me…I'm GONNA protect it!" She yelled, running off.

"CATCH HER!" Snafu yelled, ordering the experiments to grab her.

"I'm not letting you!" Spud said, leaping in front of them with Morpholomew by his side.

"Pfft. It's no use, little human!" Snafu insisted. "I've got VERY powerful friends…there's no way you can win!" He crowed as Crystallene felt one of them grab her by the neck…

"THEY'VE GOT FRIENDS TOO!"

"**KAUNTA-PANCHI!**"

A mighty fist sent the experiments close to Crystallene flying back. She looked up to see a female experiment with a light brown body, reddish-brown locks and bright green eyes smiling at her, bouncing back and forth in a battle stance. She was wearing a white t-shirt over her chest and pants with alien script running up and down them as she stood by a girl with a sleek black shirt, pants and beautiful red hair.

"Who…are you?" She asked.

"I'm Trainer." Trainer said, smiling. "Remember me, Crystallene?"

"You're…Trainer? Wow, you look so different with those clothes on!" Crystallene said. "But I'm glad to see an old friend! Do you know Chops?"

"Chops and Nick helped us before. You're safe now!"

"HA! We still outnumber you!" Snafu laughed as the experiments regrouped.

"Not for long! **CANTANCION!**"

A musical blast sent the experiments flying back as a pink experiment with a tutti-frutti hat and HER partner appeared. "Jenny and Carmen at your service!"

"Si! Gonna wipe the floor with choo bastardos!" Carmen crowed.

"And we're here too!" A voice shouted.

Dr. Rupert and Page appeared. Crystallene blinked at the sight of the little rabbit.

"What the heck? Not YOU again!" Snafu muttered angrily.

"That's right!" Dr. Rupert crowed, posing. "**It is I! DR. RUPERT! The amazing doctor who knows absolutely everything!**"

"Grrrrrr…you're annoying!" Snafu mumbled. "Fine then…I'll just have to take a hostage!" He snarled.

Before they could do anything, Bloodfang descended from the sky, grabbing Crystallene in his claws and pulling her up.

Snafu laughed over and over. "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!! How do you like THAT!" He crowed.

"Damn it!" Dr. Rupert growled. "You cowardly little octopus!"

"Ha-ha-ha! Better not try anything!" Snafu snickered, covering his mouth.

"Yeah, stand back or you're gonna have a…SQUASHED TOMATO!" Bloodfang sneered.

"_Damn it!"_ Crystallene thought. "_They entrusted me to hold the book…I can't let them touch it!"_

She held the book up. "GUYS! Quick, catch the-"

"**CRYSTALLEEEENE!**" Page shouted, jumping up through the air, wings beating quickly.

"…Page…" She gasped.

"I'LL SAVE YOU!" He cried out to her.

"Correction…"

They all gasped.

"WE'LL **ALL **SAVE YOU!" Nick, Chopsuey, Dude said, all riding on top of Heartwing towards her.

"Take my hand!" Chopsuey yelled.

"_He's…here…"_ Carmen thought to herself.

Quickly, Chops tugged her free and Bloodfang snarled as they landed down to join the others.

"Oh I'm SO scared!" Snafu growled. "We can still win as long as we all work together!"

"Oh no you won't…because I called in a very SPECIAL member of the Majestic Twelve!" Dr. Rupert laughed as a familiar woman with VERY big…er, headlights…appeared from behind a tree to join them.

"WHAT? Big Boing? What on Earth is SHE going to-" Nick spoke up.

"Now, Big Boing…BOING CHOP!"

"Ha-HA!"

TOKA-TOKA-TOKA-TOKA-TOKA-TOKA-TOKA-TOKA!

"Gaaahhh…" One experiment remarked, his purple, smooth-chested body frozen still.

"Woaaah!" Another one said, his metallic, armored body frozen as well.

"What…the?" Another one gasped, her three eyes going wide.

"All riiiight!" The fourth said, smirking as he rubbed his hands together…all six of them.

"…this…is…" Snafu spoke. "Just…"

What they DIDN'T notice was that Page had gotten behind them.

"**VOTIUM!**" Dr. Rupert howled.

BA-BOOOM!

The experiments were sent flying, their books turning into cinders. Snafu gasped, then turned to Bloodfang.

"Uh…let's scram!" He finally suggested, leaping on the griffin, who tore through the air, getting away.

"Good riddance to bad rub-" Dr. Rupert began.

Then he was grabbed by his tail and swirled around in the air by Nick like a shot put on a chain. "YOU-PERVERTED-LITTLE-FREAAAAAK!" He yelled.

"PUUUUT MEEEE DOOOOOWN!"

"I WILL PUNISH YOU IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT'S GOOD AND HOLY!"

"I KNOOOOW WHOOOO MASTER IIIIIS!"

Nick stopped. Dr. Rupert hung, upside down, in front of Nick's face.

"Y'do?" Nick asked.

"Mmm-hmm." Dr. Rupert said, nodding. "Now…put me down."

Nick let him go and the doctor brushed himself off. "His name is SHADOW, experiment 086. He is a cunning, diabolical experiment who has incredible power…I learned about him from experiment 561 and his book owner, Haley. We met them in the mountains…they had just beaten an opponent…but they wouldn't join our group. However they did tell us his true name and that his power."

"EXPERIMENT 561!?!" Chops gasped. "That…one?"

"AAA!" Morph screamed, diving underneath Spud's legs. "I feel like wetting myself just thinking about that psycho! It's amazing he didn't kill you!"

"What's so special about this 561?" Nick asked.

"There's not a single experiment that doesn't know him. Jumba's so scared of him he just calls him **HE**, because he's too afraid to refer to him by his real name!" Page told Nick. "He's got so much dark energy in him, but he…he is capable of caring. He's bonded closely with Haley, I can tell. I thought perhaps…perhaps he'd put his own ego aside to help others, but I guess I was wrong." He said, hanging his head sadly.

"I think I was more scared of the girl than the dragon." Dr. Rupert sheepishly admitted. "But in any case…we must prepare…tomorrow…we attack at DAWN!"

…

…

…

… "Hmm?"

086 frowned as he saw a form come whizzing through the air.

"They couldn't possibly be this stupid…could they?" He thought. "Taking an airplane?"

They were! It was coming right for the ruins. Rolling his eyes, 086 hovered through the air, then raised his claws up, firing off a pyrokinetic blast that whizzed out…

THA-WOOSH! The plane went up in flames and crashed down into the jungle. 086 smirked. "Idiots." He laughed as he watched the plane slowly, slowly burn. He stood there, laughing all the while…

Therefore, while he was laughing, he didn't notice that the others had ACTUALLY come in from hang gliders on the other side of the ruins. Landing on a raised platform, everyone raced into four separate hallways, deciding to split up…

But this would prove to be a bad idea in hindsight…

**Author's Note:**

**Bloodfang is Stitchfreak626's creation and 086 belongs to Launcelot du Coudray...wait, why didn't he spell his name right? Shouldn't it be LANCELOT? Oh, whatever! Rouge belongs to Nukerjsr and Kila the super-fantastic-and-awesome is Alohilani's creation. I simply HAD to include her and make XR her partner. They're PERFECT for this. Please review...and enjoy this preview!**

**Dr. Rupert: Who on Earth are you?**

**???: I am one of the Four Legendary Beasts!**

**Spud: That sounds important...**

**???: Please perform something for me, I've been bored outta my skull for years!**

**Carmen: Choo want it, choo got it! **

**???: What proof do ya have that you stand a chance against me in a fight?**

**Page: You don't need PROOF when the Good Lord fills your heart with faith! As you'll all see next time on "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"!**


	22. Sing For Your Life!

**Author's Note: Before I go on, I wish to profoundly thank Victor Delta Kitsune for his reviews and support, as well as a shameless plugging of my story in HIS awesome story, "Exptales"! Check it out already if you haven't. And once more I wanna thank Kioko the Pirate, who's also been a great deal of help with his kind words! Having said that, enjoy the next chapter.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

**あなたの人生のために歌う！は、芸術の美のリクエスト！**

**Sing For Your Life! The Artistic Beauty's Request!**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------**

"How WEIRD." Nick remarked as he and Dude stood there, looking above them.

Everyone had split up, arriving at the ruins on hang gliders that Pleakley had supplied them with. They'd all gone into four different hallways that, according to the map, would eventually lead to the top of the ruined castle that was 086's hideout…

Now Nick was beginning to wonder if that was such a good idea., because there, floating in the air, were orbs of light. Green, blue, yellow, orange, red, purple, pink, brown, etc. The colors of the rainbow floating around, not doing anything.

"It's pretty." Dude admitted. "But kinda freaky. What's it for? Maybe it's somebody's eyes or something. That would be cool."

"Yeah, it might be for surveillance…uh oh!" Nick gasped. They were glowing. "They're not just for surveillance…they're gonna attack! Get ready, Chops!"

"You got it!" Chopsuey yelled.

They all dove to the side as the orbs of light glowed and shot out beams that corresponded to their colors. It struck the ground where they had been, leaving scorch marks, but…

"Did you hear someone say a spell?" Nick asked.

"Nope." Dude said. "Don't see any human or experiment around…"

BZZZAP!

The lasers fired again. Once more they ducked to the side.

"We gotta stay calm, dudes." Dude said. "I get the feeling somebody's messing with us from a safe distance…it's like these things are toy helicopters, and the guy with the remote control's watching from a hidden camera…" He smiled. "The point is to stare unflinching. It's all in the eyes, man…all in the eyes."

"So these things are living eyes? Or maybe…EARS?" Nick wondered. "Could it be?..."

…

…

…

… "Hoo boy. This might be tricky." Dr. Rupert mused.

The experiment finally finished spinning around and then struck a pose, one arm up, one outstretched and all while standing on one foot. Her long antennae floated behind her, their brush-like tips quivering.

"Uh…could we pass?" Jenny asked nicely.

"…" The thing blinked. Then it's antennae rose up in the air and painted something in mid-air…giant letters. The letters flew up into the air and then slammed down in front of them.

"NO."

"YIKES!" Jenny shouted, leaping up a few feet in the air in shock. Carmen ran over to her and stood by her, holding her hand in comfort. Spud and Morph held each other, quivering in fear.

"Could you perform something please?" The girl experiment asked. She had a very nice voice, it was surprisingly friendly and filled with life.

"…uh…huh?" They all asked, a question mark popping over their heads.

"My name's Sketch! "Shaky" here is my book keeper." She said, gesturing over to a woman with long brown hair, a yellow shirt and blue pants. She was clutching the book to her chest and looked rather nervous. "Could you perform something for me? I'm one of the 4 Legendary Beasts." She took up a normal pose and twirled her one antenna around like it was a chain.

"Four Legendary Beasts? I suppose that's the experiment equivalent of the Shitennō." Dr. Rupert mused. "The Four Heavenly Kings are Buddhist Gods that guard over the cardinal directions of the world." Dr. Rupert explained.

"Dunno much about history, but I do know that I was so dang BORED being stuck as a pod for 100 years." Sketch remarked, scratching her head. "Do you think you could sing a song or do a dance or something? If it's good I'd be glad to letcha pass!" Sketch told them eagerly.

"Oh, you'd like to hear a song? Well that's great! Carmen's specialty is singing and dancing! She's like a Latin pop star!" Jenny said happily.

"Si! Is no problema." Carmen insisted.

"And I'm a One-Man-Band master!" Spud said proudly.

"Spud's the best, better than the rest!" Morpholomew added, nodding eagerly.

"Alright!" Sketch said happily. "But uh…"

The others blinked. Suddenly Sketch grinned evilly as her antennae wrote more letters in the air. The letters slammed down, forming words in front of them and making them fall flat on their backs and butts from the shockwave. What did they read?

They read, in blood-red letters, **"IF YOU'RE BORING I'LL KILL YOU!"**

"Gu-gu-guuhhh…okay…we'll…keep that…in mind…" Jenny gulped.

"Si-si…no…problema…" Carmen repeated, only this time she had a LITTLE less confidence.

Dr. Rupert crossed his arms, brow furrowing. "Please don't mess up this performance, Carmen…we're counting on you. This person…she has an unknown nature, but the power deep inside her is undeniable…"

…

…

…

… "Everybody ready?"

"Yep!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Let's roll!"

"Alright! One, two, three four!"

With Carmen and Jenny doing duet-dancing while Spud sang as he played a guitar and Morpholomew joined in with his own guitar, they began the song!

_**Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell…  
It was love from above that could save me from hell!  
She had fire in her soul, it was easy to see…  
How the devil himself could be pulled out of me!  
There were drums in the air as she started to dance,  
Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands!**_

_**And we sang ay-yo-ay-yo-ay-yo-ay!  
And the voices rang like the angels sing!**_

_**Singing ay-yo-ay-yo-ya-yo-ay!  
And we daaanced on into the niiight!**_

_**And we daaanced on into the niiight! **_

Like a piece to the puzzle that falls into place,  
You could tell how we felt from the look on our faces!  
We was spinning in circles with the moon in our eyes,  
No room left to move in between you and I!  
We forgot where we were and we lost track of time,  
And we sang to the wind as we danced through the night!

And we sang ay-yo-ay-yo-ay-yo-ay!  
And the voices rang like the angels sing!

_**Singing ay-yo-ay-yo-ya-yo-ay!  
And we daaanced on into the niiight!**_

_**And we daaanced on into the niiight!**_

While Spud and Morpholomew played a guitar duet without any singing and Carmen and Jenny moved their bodies to the rhythm of the song, Dr. Rupert gulped. So far Sketch had just been twirling her brush-like antennas, watching without doing anything save for some foot-tapping. Where they not doing a good enough job? At the very least, he now knew her power…she could manifest attacks via her magical antennas. Art powers…intriguingly intriguing.

Spud then resumed the song once more.

_**Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell…  
It was love from above that could save me from hell!  
She had fire in her soul, it was easy to see…  
How the devil himself could be pulled out of me!  
There were drums in the air as she started to dance,  
Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands!**_

Now Dr. Rupert and Page joined in, clapping along with the song as they danced as well. ANYTHING to keep from being "erased"!

_**And we sang ay-yo-ay-yo-ay-yo-ay!  
And the voices rang like the angels sing!**_

_**Singing ay-yo-ay-yo-ya-yo-ay!  
And we daaanced on into the niiight!**_

_**And we daaanced on into the niiight!**_

_**Ay-yo-ay-yo-ay-yo-ay!  
And the voices rang like the angels sing!**_

_**Singing ay-yo-ay-yo-ya-yo-ay!  
And we daaanced on into the niiight!**_

_**And we daaanced on into the niiight! **_

Ay-yo-ay-yo-ay-yo-ay!  
Ay-yo-ay-yo-ya-yo-ay!

_**Singing ay-yo-ay-yo-ay-yo-ay!  
And we daaanced on into the niiight!**_

Sketch twirled her antennae, then grinned again as her antennae wrote letters in the air. Everyone dove to the ground, hugging each other…

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG, the letters came flying down all around them as they scattered like bunnies in a field, trying to find a safe place to hide! But then they stopped, and as everyone re-grouped, they read the letters and what they spelled out…

"Great job!"

**SFX: Cow Bell for every close up**

CARMEN: Que?!

JENNY: Huh!?

PAGE: Wh-what!?

DR. RUPERT: Eh!?

SPUD: Whaaa?!

MORPHOLOMEW: Whuh?!

"You…liked it?" Spud asked nervously.

"Maximum fun!" Sketch said happily, giving them a thumbs up. "I really like that sort of thing!"

"Ooh, choo have good taste." Carmen told her, beaming.

"I was really entertained! Hey…do you think I could sing with you?" She asked nervously, tracing a circle on the ground in front of them with her foot, head bowed humbly.

"Carmen? Spud?" Dr. Rupert rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, why not? She seems like a good person." Jenny said, shrugging.

"You'll let me sing? Oh happy, happy day!" Sketch said, twirling around in a circle. As she did so, her antennae drew little flowers in the air that sprinkled around her, falling to the ground like gentle raindrops.

"See, she IS a nice person!" Spud said. "Alright! Carmen, do ya think you could start by teaching her the dance moves?"

"No problema!" Carmen insisted. "Repeat after me, okay?" She said to Sketch, twirling her body around then striking a pose.

"Okay! Woo-" Sketch twirled her body around…

FWIP!

Her antennae had gotten tangled up, and now she fell flat on her face with a painful THA-THUNKA.

"SHE TRIPPED?!?" They all gasped. Instantly a sense of foreboding filled their bodies.

Sketch stood back up, all aquiver. "How…how dare you do this to me!" She shouted angrily.

"Now wait, uh, hold on, we didn't mean for that to happen!" Jenny said, waving her arms in the air.

"Yeah, you totally did it to yourself!" Spud said, holding onto Morpholomew and shaking.

"How DARE YOU!" Sketch yelled angrily, antennae rising up like snakes as she grinded her teeth. "I am Sketch of the Legendary Beasts and I'M GONNA WIPE THE FREAKING FLOOR WITH YOU!!!"

Dr. Rupert suddenly stepped forward, with Page nervously trailing behind.

"…what's this? Are you gonna beg for your life or something?" Sketch wanted to know. "Cuz that would be totally corny-"

"ALAKAZAM!" Dr. Rupert said, raising his sleeve up.

POOF! Pigeons circled around Sketch, who's head went around and around at the sight. "Ooooh!" She said. "Do it again, do it again!" She asked, clapping her hands.

"Uh-oh." Dr. Rupert thought. He could only conjure up so many tricks…

"Yeah, do some more! You're the world's best magician!" Page said happily.

"PAGE!" Dr. Rupert groaned, tugging at his hair.

"I wanna see more too!" Spud said. "I LOVE magic tricks!"

"All your stink." Morpholomew remarked. "Stick to miming."

"Ooh, magic treeks? Lemme see!" Carmen asked, clapping her hands.

"I-I-er…" Dr. Rupert moaned and slapped his forehead. "Alright…er…I know! A magic dance! BEHOLD!"

He twirled around on his tail, spinning like a top.

"Oooooh!" Sketch said as he went faster and faster, rising up into the air. Then he came down gently onto his paw/feet, facing the others with a bow.

"Wow, doctor, I didn't know you could FLY!" Page said happily.

Then the doctor raised his head and began swaying in place, back and forth, back and forth. "Neither…did…I…" He mumbled.

"Ooh, ooh, I wanna try!" Sketch said. She began to twirl her antennae around rapidly…

"OH NO!" Dr. Rupert gasped. "NOT-"

Her antennae had gotten tangled up, and, of course…

THA-THUNKA.

"…again…" Dr. Rupert moaned, slapping his face with his paw.

"**SKETCH! KILL! RODENT! AND! MONKEYS! AND! BLOB! AND! TUTTI…FRUITTI…LAAAADDYYYYYY!!!"**

"Hey hold on, that was your fault for getting tangled up!" Spud insisted. "Chillate with the "us" hate!"

"How DARE you! I'm Sketch, and I will defeat you…"

She twirled her body around as her antennae began drawing on HER! She then stopped herself and struck a pose as she stood in a big white, magical-looking schoolgirl outfit. "**IN THE NAME OF THE MOOOOON!**"

"Well, we're screwed." Spud remarked.

"SHAKAAAAA!" Sketch roared as the outfit burnt into cinders on her body as a result of pure, blinding rage. "GET THEEEEEM!"

Instantly her book owner raised the book up, laughing at Sketch's misfortunate.

"STOP IT!" Sketch yelled.

"…fine." "Shakey" mumbled.

"Good, now could you be a dear and say-"

"**VESPERA!**"

"Yes, say-wait, no, it's…" Sketch turned her head just in time as two large, shining blasts of swirling lights sent her flying through the air. She hit the wall with a loud "THA-THUMP" and slid down, groaning.

"SPUD, JENNY, ALL TOGETHER NOW!" He shouted. They all ran over to him. "Now listen, here's the plan…"

Sketch rubbed her sore head for a few moments, then leapt back onto her feet and looked at her book owner. "Use the strongest spell and wipe them out!" She demanded, clenching her fist. "They're TOTALLY messing up my hair and I'm getting sick of their tricks! This is more annoying than the time I had to deal with that artist who drew me with ridiculously big breasts! I'M NOT A DOUBLE DEEEEEE!!!!"

"**Quattrocentista****!**" The book owner "Shakey" spoke up.

Sketch's antennae rose back up in the air as she quickly sketched forth a humongous, swirling miniature SUN that rose up in the air, sparkling brightly. It then hovered in the air above them all, heating up the room as fire arose form Sketch's body as she laughed and laughed.

"**OCULA DEUS!" **

Page lifted up his body and hovered in the air, clenching his fists as his eyes glowed. They shot out rapid blasts of gleaming white energy at the sun which continued to lower closer and closer to the ground and the group…what Sketch and her book owner couldn't see was that Spud and HIS partner were gone…

"NOW! TELEPORTATION!" Dr. Rupert shouted.

Sketch blinked. "Uh WHAT?!" Instantly the sun stopped in place, then vanished. She looked around…

The choir boy was gone! Where on Earth had-?

"Ha-ha! Over here!" Page said, waving from behind her and her book keeper. Sketch whirled around, eyes wide.

"What the?! How'd you get behind me!?"

"Simple!" Dr. Rupert said, raising a paw in the air as he beamed. "Page's other special ability…is the ability to teleport without spells!"

"Really?" Sketch asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dr. Rupert grinned cheekily. "Nope! Lie!"

"GAAAAWWWWW!" Sketch gaped.

"**VALIDIUS VOTIUM!**" Dr. Rupert called out.

Page held up his arms and a HUGE double-tablet shape of swirling light appeared. He thrust that orb forward, and it blasted Sketch through the air. She hit the ground and moaned, rubbing her head…and as she looked up…

"Ha-ha!" Page said, slapping his butt at her. "See this? Kiss it!" He laughed.

"What the?!...oh I see…" Sketch's eyes narrowed. "You're that blob! I know the type…you can change your shape!"

"Correct!" Dr. Rupert said, nodding. "Morpholomew's power is all about changing his body! You'll never know who's attacking you and from what direction!"

"And you forgot about US!" Jenny said suddenly, pointing at "Shakey". "Carmen, time for a spell! **Can-**"

Sketch smirked.

"**NATURA SECONDO!"** Her book owner shouted.

Sketch twirled around in the air, her antennae glowing brightly. As she twirled, large blades were sketched around her and she took the appearance of a sick sort of fan. The blades BARELY skimmed over Morpholomew, who reverted back to his appearance and fell on his back, eyes going wide as the fan blades whizzed over them.

"An all-inclusive spell, huh?" Dr. Rupert shouted as he leapt into the air, held up by Page. Carmen and Jenny were a safe distance away from the fans, as was Spud, who clung tightly to his book. "Even THAT's within my calculations! GO!"

"**Variazione!**" Spud shouted.

Morpholomew vanished from sight…or DID he? In actually, he turned into air molecules. Now his body was drifting towards the book keeper…

Sketch stopped her attack, looking around. "What the? Where did that blob-"

"Come and get me!" Page said, jumping in the air and spreading his arms as Dr. Rupert read another spell. His cross blast struck her, but she raised her arms in time to block. "Bet you can't hit me!" Page said, weaving and ducking around in the air.

"Oh YEAH!?!" She shouted.

Shakey opened up the book. "**ASTUTO!**"

Sketch's antennae sketched a large, crayon-shaped thing which plopped down in her hands. She raised it up, and the top opened up, revealing a barrel! It shot blasts at Page, who dodged to the side over and over.

Dr. Rupert grinned. _"That's it!"_ he thought. _"Keep attacking Page…and while Morph is invisible, he'll sneak closer and closer…until he can burn your book!"_

"Wait a minute!" Sketch shouted, dropping the crayon-gun, which stopped firing. She pointed right at the rabbit/hamster/gerbil alien. "You're up to some funny business! YAAAA!"

She rushed at him, growling in anger.

"DR. RUPERT!" Jenny shouted. "**ANDALUSIA****!**"

Carmen jumped in the air, sprouting extra arms and spinning her maracas as she shot a blast at Sketch…

Sketch jumped into the air, high up…and grinned evilly at the doctor. "Now you're going to get it!"

"Ha! Your book keeper's in big danger right now!" Dr. Rupert said proudly. "Already, Morpholomew-"

"Hi."

Dr. Rupert turned his head and saw Morpholomew was lying in a heap in his blob form just a little distance away from Skakey. "I ran…outta…sugar…" He moaned. "Somebody get me a candy bar!"

"…oh foo." Dr. Rupert remarked.

"**MODELLO!" **Shakey shouted.

Sketch's antennae drew a huge hammer in mid air and she slammed it down…

KA-CHOOOM!

Dr. Rupert went flying through the air…and his furry body hit the ground with a sickening THUNK. His jacket was in tatters, his fur was covered with dust, and blood slowly oozed down from the top of his head. His tail twitched slightly as the others gasped in horror.

"Doctor?" Page whimpered softly.

Dr. Rupert continued to lie there…unmoving.

"DOCTOR!!!" Page screamed, tears falling from his eyes. He began to run towards him…

"STAY BACK, PAGE!" Dr. Rupert gasped out as he rose up.

They all looked on in amazement as Dr. Rupert got back up, panting heavily. "Remember…the plan!" He insisted. "Don't worry…about me…"

He stretched his arms and struck a defiant pose, clenching his paw/fist. "**I am Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel of the invincible body!**"

"R-Really?" Page whispered, his paw raised to his mouth.

"…yeah…it's…true!" Dr. Rupert said, grinning broadly.

"…_lie…"_ He thought to himself.

"Wow…that takes guts." Sketch remarked as she twirled her antennae around. "You're a credit to rodents everywhere. Too bad I'm gonna have to spill those guts everywhere!"

"It's time this battle was decided!" Dr. Rupert shouted. "Let's GO!"

Blasts everywhere. Screams from Carmen and Jenny as they were sent flying back. Spud and Morpholomew's vain attempts to grab the book from Shakey…

Dr. Rupert raised his book again and again, casting out spells to send Sketch flying back, his mind thinking…_"Why did I collect those books for my library? For whose sake did I read them?_ _Was it out of regret for Junior's death? A way to cure diseases like the ones that had taken his life? I was becoming somebody who didn't even have the courage to pick up a butter knife, much less a scalpel…"_

"**CANTANCION!**"

"**VALIDUS VOTIUM!**"

"_No…that's not it…the real reason I collected all that knowledge…the reason…"_

Suddenly Sketch snarled as she turned to face Morpholomew and Spud, who were trying to yank the book from Shakey's hands. "_You annoying little!_"

She bared her teeth and jumped into the air, long antennae whipping forward…

"NO!" Dr. Rupert shouted, jumping in the way. She grabbed onto HIM instead, and flung him through the air. He hit the ground with a "THA-THUNK"…and didn't get up.

"DOCTOR!" Page screamed again.

"He can't even MOVE, kid." Sketch said. "Be a good little Christian and submit quietly."

"_The real reason I collected all that knowledge…was for this fight."_ Dr. Rupert realized. _"It was for the sake of Page…to make his father proud of him…to make his people realize that his devotion, that his kindness, that his innocence and faith weren't weaknesses…and above all, I swore to make him wise…"_

He grit his teeth as the blood dripped down from his head. _"Because one who is wise…can save a lot of innocent people…can keep them from suffering…he could be a minister to all his kind…damn it! Get up! You can't just rest! This is no time for napping!" _

But he just couldn't move his body. A single tear drifted down his cheek. He just couldn't move.

"Let's end it." Sketch said quietly, a vague look of pity on her face. "Skaka?"

"**QUATTROCENTISTA!********"**

Sketch's antennae whipped through the air, creating a large, slowly revolving Earth. It almost looked…beautiful…

But then it slowly, lazily drifted towards Dr. Rupert, picking up speed. Dr. Rupert closed his eyes…

**"****DOCTOOOORRRR!"**

His eyes jolted back open just in time to see Page jump in front of him. "**DON'T** YOU DIE ON MEEEE!" Page screamed as he flung his body forward…

It was an impossible feat. Page hovered in the air, trying to move the miniature globe back as it zoomed closer and closer to crushing Dr. Rupert. But Page's beautiful eyes, brimming with tears, had a burning resolve in them. His wings flapped like never before as he let out a hear-breaking cry, summoning all his strength and shoving HARD…

BA-BOOOOM!

A large cloud of dust filled the air.

"Doctor…" Spud whispered.

"No…Dr. Rupert…" Jenny murmured, holding a hand to her lips.

There was silence for a while. Then, at last, the dust cloud vanished, revealing Page running towards Sketch and her book keeper, wings tattered, hands bleeding heavily. They had gone from full bruises to severe cuts in his attempt to try and stop the crushing globe. His sides were bloodied as well, but even so he continued to run at full speed at Sketch…

"Fighting me without any spells? What are you, crazy?" Sketch asked, raising her eyebrow.

"You won't hurt the doctor _anymore_!" Page screamed as he jumped in the air.

Sketch quickly sketched up a burning fireball and tried to shove it at Page, but Page swung it out of the way and punched her in the fact. The fireball exploded as it hit the ceiling, turning into small sparks that sailed down. Sketch and Page tussled for a few moments while Carmen turned to look at Spud.

"Now! Get the spell book!" She shouted.

Spud and Morpholomew flung themselves back at Shakey, with Carmen and Jenny helping them out. Sketch growled and her antennae shot out, whacking them back…

"MORPH, THE SECOND SPELL!" Page shouted.

"**Variabilità**!" Spud shouted. Morpholomew was transformed into his smaller self, and Spud flung him at Shakey…

Dr. Rupert smiled. So Page was fighting on his own?

…wait…was he?

Dr. Rupert lifted his eyes up as he saw a shimmering, glowing form approach, a gentle halo of light surrounding it's body. And this form…

It was Page. It lowered itself down by the doctor, getting on its knees, he smiled at the professor.

"You're…speaking to…to my _heart_." He whispered softly.

"Yes." Page said, gently, putting his paw on Dr. Rupert's head, smiling serenely. "The book is burning…a spark from the flame attack's lit it up…"

It was true. A small flame had arisen on Page's book.

"Soon it will be time for me to go…" Page told Dr. Rupert. "_Mahalo_…for always being there for me."

"…Pa…Page…" Dr. Rupert whispered.

"I learned a lot of things from you." Page said happily. "Things that will help me become a truly good minister to people in need…things a champion ought to know…I've learned what one person can do on their own, and how much people can accomplish if they work together…"

"I got the Destiny Stone fragments!" Morpholomew shouted, tossing them to Carmen.

"Now use the third spell!" Page shouted.

"Alright!" Spud yelled. "Here we go, buddy! The Third Spell, **GUARDIA DEL CORPO!**"

Morpholomew's body suddenly rose up, bigger…better…faster, stronger, ha-ha-ha!

"AAA! HE'S FRICKIN' HUGE!" Sketch shouted, eyes going wide. "Shaka, use every spell we've got on him or he'll crush us!"

Her book owner began reading off all the spells she had. Spud grinned. They didn't know that Morpholomew's form may have gotten bigger…but that was just an illusion as well. His true consciousness was down below, hidden behind the "leg" of the big blob that towered over the attacking Sketch. He was amazed that Page had come up with such a plan…

"Doctor…" Page continued on to his partner. "I came up with this plan on my own because of what you taught me. You did so much. You played with me…made me laugh…cheered me up when I was sad…and you always made me smile…it was the greatest thing in the world just being with you, doctor."

Dr. Riddles saw tears running down the little angel's eyes as Page reached out and caressed his cheek.

"Professor…I want you to know…you will always be a second father to me…you…will always be _my_ champion!" He crooned gently.

"…" Dr. Rupert's body quivered slightly.

"I've grown since I first met you…don't you think? I hope that…I've become like you." Page smiled happily. "I've become truly happy…I've become a champion."

"…Page…" Dr. Rupert sobbed as the tears fell freely. His book glowed more brightly than it ever had…

"How is this possible!?!" Sketch shouted. "My attacks aren't doing anything?! There's only one thing to do…Shaka, use all your remaining heart energy for one final attack!"

**"QUATTROCENTISTA!"** Her book keeper yelled.

Sketch raised her antennae up high as they drew the biggest, HUGEST globe that they'd ever seen in their lives! It was getting bigger and bigger, and…it was going to crush all of them!

"THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN DODGE THIS!" Sketch laughed.

"Doctor…it's time for me to go. Cast the last spell." Page asked gently. "I know it will protect everyone."

"Page…I…love you." He whispered.

"I will always remember you!" Page's heart shouted as it flew back into Page, who now glowed with a beautiful golden light as a halo surrounded his head and his body transformed to normal. "_My beloved Dr. Rupert!_"

"**NOSTERA STELLA MARIS!**" Dr. Rupert roared out like a lion.

"Goodbye…Doctor…" Page whispered as his body glowed brightly and unleashed it's final spell. A beautiful woman riding on top of an ocean wave appeared, her face filled with loving serenity. A rising star rose around her head like a beautiful halo, and it's light stretched out as the sea wave rose higher and higher. She stretched out her arms and touched the globe with her hand, and it vanished before their eyes. Then she clasped them in prayer as she rode the ocean wave towards Sketch, who's eyes widened in amazement and shock…

THA-WHOOOOOM!

A huge shockwave arose as the wave crashed down on her and her book keeper. The walls were blown wide open all around, and the roof exploded into nothingness. At last the light from the attack faded…

And Sketch stood there, blinking slowly, covered in dust and soot, bruises and cuts all over her body. Her antennae hung limply from her head as she panted heavily. Her book keeper had hit the ground…and her book was burning with a small white fire. She looked over at it, then turned her attention to the others, who had gone over to Dr. Rupert and were trying to help him up.

She shrugged, then closed her eyes, sighing. "So…that's it…" She thought quietly. "Ah well. That…was really entertaining…really…fun."

With that, the flame covered her book completely, and she vanished.

"Doctor…I'm…I'm sorry…" Morpholomew sobbed, covering his eyes with his stubby arms as Carmen held Jenny, who was weeping horribly. "Page…is…gone."

"I…know…" Dr. Rupert rasped back. "Say nothing more…_nothing more_." He whispered as the wind blew the last pieces of his book into oblivion.

**Author's Note:**

**Sketch belongs to Shakaraka...or is ShakaRaka...of Deviantart. I found this chapter to be really sad for me to write. I wish Page didn't have to go, but he was brave and true to the very end.**

**Here...another preview. And please review.**

**...for Page. **

**Kim: These people are dangerous...look at those stances...**

**???: You do not have a prayer, ladies.**

**???: Nothing personal, but you're not going to win.**

**Trainer: My resolve for winning is far different from yours...I WILL win!**

**Crystallene: Don't you DARE die on us! We don't care if your love is different...you two are meant to be together!**

**Kim: Our love will never die, and certainly not on the next "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"! **


	23. The Protecting Champion Appears!

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

**チャンピオンの保護が表示されます！**

**The Protecting Champion Appears!**

**-----------------------------------------------------**

The room was a mostly large, open space, with a door in the back and front and several columns here and there. There was some strange calligraphy painted on the walls, but the girls wanted out.

Unfortunately the way out was blocked…

"so…it seems some interesting people have "dropped in"." The experiment said, smiling. "You look different from the normal, moronic experiments I used to fight against."

He was rather handsome for an experiment. He had black hair that spiked up, and large talon-like claws on his feet. His legs were longer than most experiments, and had orange fur over most of his body, save for the cream-colored chest and stomach he had. He had dark blue claws that were almost black, a small blue nose, and a reptilian tail with two blue rings wrapped around them. He was wearing a pair of headphones and had black eyes with a blue tinge at the bottom. The headphones plug tip was being swirled around and around like a chain.

"Careful guys." Crystallene said. "Something about this guy gives me the chills!"

"I know what you mean." Trainer said, nodding. "That pose SEEMS defenseless, but I recognize the ring tail emblem…I know this experiment, I've heard about his power! He's one of the Four Legendary Beasts of yore!"

"The name's Ribera." The experiment said in a Spanish-American accent. He smiled slightly. "It's true that I'm one of the Four Legendary Beasts…but enough boasting, shall we stop this staring contest and get started?" He asked his them.

"**Batido**!" His book keeper shouted.

Ribera flung the plug tip at them and it grew BIG and LONG. Trainer, her book keeper, Crystallene and Yuuku barely rolled to the side in time. Ribera then aimed at Trainer, and the plug jabbed over and over…

But Trainer ducked and weaved and danced around, dodging.

"So you're eluding them? Well if you think this is the best I can do, you're in for a sore surprise!" Ribera remarked.

THA-WHAM! He knocked Trainer away. He was about to smile when he turned his head slightly and saw…

"You're attacking my book owner?" He asked, an amused expression on his face.

"Yeah! If he's being controlled, then my power can knock him down!" Kim Possible said, jumping up and slamming her leg down…

THA-WHOOOOOM!

The trainer blocked with his arm…and his knees bent in an unmistakable Martial Arts defensive stance.

"What!?" She gasped.

Then the book keeper shifted his body, turning to the side and slamming his hands out in a fashion that looked like he was rocking back and forth. He managed to knock her book keeper back and she was barely able to re-adjust herself in mid-air.

"That was a "ginga"! A move from the Capoeira school of martial arts! " Her book keeper said as she bounced back to the others. "But…a normal human shouldn't be able to do that!"

"Who said I was normal?" The human said, brushing himself off. "It seems you have a vast knowledge of martial arts…good! This'll be interesting."

"You can…speak?!" Yuuku asked. "But how? Your heart's being controlled, isn't it?"

"Look, it's not really important to talk about stuff like that…" The man said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Aw, come on…be a good Bond villain and tell them Steven." Ribera laughed.

"…fine, fine." The book keeper muttered. "You want to know how I can talk? Simple: I'm not being controlled."

The others felt a chill rise in them.

"When Master told me about the fight that was occurring between alien experiments, and how this sort of fight had occurred more than once…I was interested. The more he told me, the more fascinated I became. I'm not interested in making Ribera the champion in this fight. What I want…is to fight strong people. The fact is, Master barely TOUCHED me. He only altered my heart a LITTLE so as to make me perfectly in sync with Ribera."

"Steve's grandfather, Stefan, was from Spain. He and I were good comrades, and I've connected very closely with his grandson!" Ribera said happily. "It's…too bad he's not here on this planet anymore. It would have been nice to see him just once more…"

"Enough talk. Here's all you REALLY need to know." Steven said, ripping off his shirt and getting into a fighting stance. "I am Steven, Martial Arts Master…and my fists are no longer satisfied with fighting weak humans!"

He rushed forward. "Let's GO!"

He thrust his fist forward, but Crystallene leapt forward as well! "**CONTEGO!**"

The glass-like crystalline shield appeared in a dome around the protagonists, but Steven's punch sent a large crack rising up the top.

"A single punch cracked my shield? Like WOW!" Crystallene gaped.

"I can't believe that somebody would willingly partner up with a demon just to fight strong people!" Yuuku remarked.

"Unfortunately there are these kinds of people…people who throw away right and wrong for the sake of a good fight!" Kim growled. "Selfish b--tards…"

"Oh come on! There are times when ALL of us throw away right and wrong for the sake of doing something we enjoy!" Ribera laughed. "It's always an honor to fight against a strong opponent who can hold their own…let's see if you can do the same!"

"**BATIDO!**" Steven yelled.

Ribera's headphone shaft thrust out, shattering the shield into tiny pieces. Steven raised his fist, but Trainer leapt in front of Kim to protect her, hands going up.

"**GENDAI BUDO!**" Kim announced as she read her book.

Trainer's black belt whizzed up to create a glowing, black shield, but Steven was already behind Trainer before she could do anything…

THA-WHOCKA! Steven kicked Trainer through the air, smirking. Then he turned on the other girls.

"Time to die!" He laughed, rushing forward.

"You JERK! **MUNIMENTUM!**" Crystallene howled as Kim called forth as much power as she could. A mosaic shield of crystals rose up as Steven raced towards it and then…

Stopped his fist from touching it. He smirked.

"Uh oh…he knows how tough the shield is!" Yuuku gasped.

"Oh, PINK it." Crystallene moaned.

"**CERTERO HUELGA!**" Steven announced as he read from his own book. Ribera raised his hands and let out a call as his tail ring glowed. He then focused his power and his headphones flew off, transforming into a large manta ray made of metal as it turned on it's side. It's mandibles clacked together and it whizzed through the air, slamming against the shield and breaking it apart, making everyone gasp in fear.

"Oh no!" Yuuku realized out loud as she and her partner hit the ground. "They're too freaking strong!"

"You have no idea, sister!" Ribera laughed.

"**CLAVAR!**" Steven announced.

Ribera's headphones SPLIT into two and landed on his hands, transforming into steel knuckles. He grinned and rushed forward along with Steven as Trainer leapt up and proceeded to grapple with them!

A feint, a jab, a block! Trainer ducked and weaved, punching and striking with hits at Steven as Ribera twisted his body left and right, weaving back and forth and dodging Trainer's attempts to ward him off.

Then it came. Steven ducked low, Trainer's punch missed and Ribera's steel knuckles hit him in the shoulder while Steven hit him in the side.

"TRAINER!" Kim screamed.

SPA-LOOSH! Some blood oozed out from the shoulder would. Ribera and Steven jumped back as Trainer swung a strong hit at them, but then smirked as they saw the female experiment hit the ground on her knees, gasping in pain. Kim rushed over to her, kneeling down as Crystallene and Yuuku approached as well.

"Stay behind me!" Trainer insisted.

They all blinked in surprise.

"Listen Crystallene, your spells aren't gonna work on guys like these. So I will stand and hold them back!"

"What? That's freaking crazy! If you do it alone, you'll DIE!" Yuuku insisted.

"Yeah, you can't say stupid stuff like tha-"

"Do what he says." Kim said stonily.

"Wh…what?" Crystallene mumbled.

"It's for the best." Kim said softly.

"Yes…KP. It is." She stood back up and dusted herself off, walking forward.

"What are you doing?!" Yuuku demanded to know of Kim, grabbing her by her black shirt, eyes blazing. "Isn't Trainer somebody very close to you?! Isn't she…how can you just let her do this!?!"

"Yeah! We heard the whole story! Your love was forbidden but you defied fate and made a promise to share your lives together!" Crystallene shouted. "Why would you let Trainer go get herself killed?"

"…you don't get it…we haven't even BEGUN to fight!" Kim said, pulling away and looking down. "You haven't seen even half of our power. But that doesn't matter because…the truth is…"

She sighed sadly. "Even if we love each other, it's our destiny to be pulled apart."

Crystallene and Yuuku shared a collective jolt of horrific realization.

"Even if we lived through the fight, one day…" Yuuku began.

"Even you and I would have to say goodbye…" Crystallene finished the thought.

Trainer stepped to meet Ribera and Steven. Steven crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "So you want to fight us alone and the chicks in back are your peanut gallery support?"

"I can hear everything they're saying. How romantic!" Ribera complimented. "Love that cannot be in more ways than one, blossoming in the middle of a deadly war. You two fit the bill for star crossed lovers, all right."

"I won't let you lay a finger on them." Trainer said.

"Oh…can you manage that?' Steven asked, looking amused.

Then it happened. Trainer clenched her blood-covered fist and they saw the air around her alter somewhat…an aura was coming off from her.

"You, who fight for the sake of fighting…you couldn't understand. MY resolve is far different than yours." She whispered.

"I know those eyes…" Ribera said softly. "They're saying that even if it kills you, you'll destroy us."

"Yes…that's more like it!" Steven laughed. "Let's do this!"

"We won't let you kill yourself!" Crystallene shouted, rushing forward with Yuuku.

"This is one time we can't let you guys be all heroic!" Yuuku insisted. "C'mon you ugly jerks, show us what you've got with your stupid "joojeetsoo"!"

"You're annoying…I think I'll trash you first!" Steven yelled. "**CERTERO HUELGA!**"

Ribera's steel knuckles merged together and transformed back into the metallic manta ray. Tail sweeping back and forth, it howled as it rushed forward at Crystallene and Yuuku.

"Suckers!" Crystallene laughed.

"**REPENDO!**" Yuuku hollered.

A dome-like structure surrounded Ribera, Steven and the manta ray of metal. "C'mon, c'mon…send the attack back at them!" Crystallene hollered.

"Don't…underestimate us!" Steven laughed.

"A dirty trick like this won't work on warriors like ourselves!" Ribera shouted.

SHATTA-KOOOM! The shield was OBLITERATED a few moments later. The Manta Ray came swirling down…down…

FWOOSH!

Trainer had leapt through the air and grabbed them just in time before the shockwave made them hit the wall. She deposited the two down and turned to KP.

"Kim…make sure they're alright."

Kim nodded. "You got it."

"...darn it…my body won't move!" Yuuku muttered.

"Don't try to move, you'll just hurt yourself." Kim insisted.

"But if we don't help, then you'll…you'll lose Trainer!" Crystallene said. "I don't wanna see you sad…you're so nice…"

"Here's a riddle." Kim said quietly, smiling gently. "Even if Trainer is sent back to the laboratory, do you know what's gonna be left behind?"

She leaned in and whispered in their ears. "The answer is…"

…

…

…

… "Kim…" Yuuku whispered, tears running down her cheeks.

Kim nodded, then walked over to Trainer, standing by her. "Let's do this, Trainer!"

"Let's show them our moves!"

"**BUBISHI!**" Kim read from the book.

"**CLAVAR!**" Steven yelled.

Rushing forward, Trainer and Ribera striking forth at each other, Trainer sending blue, shimmering punches and Ribera using his metallic knuckles. The clang-clang-clang sound of the blows being traded reverberated through the hall.

Steven rushed forward, jumping into the fray, twirling his body in a tornado attack. Taking a quick hit to the shoulder, Trainer then grabbed Steven and threw him back slightly.

"Be careful, don't let them get you in a pincer attack!" Kim shouted. "**SHORJINI KENPO!**"

Trainer's body spun around and around as she whizzed at Ribera, who took up a fighting pose. "Hmm…interesting! But not enough!" Ribera proclaimed.

He quickly leapt up and timed his kick right…THA-WHUDDA! It sent Trainer flying through the air.

"TRAINER!" Kim cried out as the kick struck Trainer square on the head…

…

…

…

… "_Do you know how often I just get to relax like this?" Kim said as she and Trainer played on a "Tekken Tag Tournament" arcade came. "If I'm not at home doing school work, I gotta do stupid spy missions…I feel like I don't get to just relax and hang out." _

"_Woop! Looks like you got me."_

_"You shouldn't play as "Kuma"."_

_"Aw, but it looked so fun to play as a bear!"_

"_I always go for Lei Wulong myself…ooh, excuse me, gotta…powder my nose!"_

"_You two are really something!" Kim's friend Wade laughed as Kim ran off. _

_Trainer smiled. "Thank you, Wade."_

_"…hey…thank YOU for making Kim smile so much." Wade insisted._

…

…

…

…leaping back through the air, Trainer and Ribera locked clawed hands, growling as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"I am NOT losing here!" Trainer shouted.

"Then show me…show me your strength!" Ribera demanded. "What makes you so sure you can win?"

…

…

…

… "_WOW…"_

_Kim looked on in amazement as Trainer lifted down a truck that had been honking at them in an annoying fashion. The owner had also been calling out certain things that shouldn't be repeated in mixed company…_

_"You're REALLY strong." She complimented. _

"_Thank you." Trainer said, blushing slightly. "But you know, this is nothing, being back in Jumba's lab I lift weights like that truck before breakfast every day!"_

_"I have a strict training regimen I go through every morning too. But you know what I like to start and end the day with?" Kim asked as they walked onto the sidewalk. "Fruit smoothie."_

_"Ooooh…" Trainer remarked as they approached a smoothie store. "Lookit all the flavors…"_

_"Take all the time you want!" Kim laughed._

…

…

…

… "Trainer…" Crystallene whispered.

"Kim…" Yuuku murmured.

…

…

…

… "_I hate this!" Kim sobbed as she hugged onto Trainer. "I don't ever want to leave you, Trainer! Please, you have to stay here…can't there be some way for you to stay?"_

_"…Kim…"_

_"I know it's selfish, but…I just…I always want to be with you!"_

_"…Kim, listen." Trainer reached up and ever-so-gently brushed Kim's cheek, wiping the tears away as they stood atop of the hill, the setting sun casting its final rays on them. "I'll leave my feelings, if nothing else."_

_"F-Feelings?"_

_"Even that might be tough, but for me, there's no other path." Trainer said quietly. "The only option I have is to live on in your heart…"_

_"…Trainer…"_

_"I wish to be a protector, KP. No matter what happens to me though…even if we're pulled apart, I promise I will not ever forget you…" She hugged her dear friend tight, crying into her shoulder. "My heart…will always be with you! I PROMISE!"_

…

…

…

… "This is our last spell! COME OOONNN!" Kim shouted. "**JEET KUNEDO!**"

"HWOOAAAHHHH!" Trainer howled, clenching her fists as her body surged with energy. From her body a large aura shot forth, taking the shape of a gigantic warrior in a gi, with a headband around his head and a firm resolve in his gleaming eyes. His body seemed to be made up of tiny, sparkling points of light, and his powerful, smooth muscles showed a warrior made to defend and protect.

Steven just smirked and raised his book. "**CERTERO HUELGA!**" He announced, summoning the metal manta ray as it whizzed through the air…

The two attacks rushed forward…but then Steven gasped when he saw Crystallene had raised her hands.

The riddle echoed in her ears. What would remain even if Trainer and Kim were gone? The answer was the image of a champion…a cool and brave being who would protect all…

Steven laughed. "You should just stay dead!" He insisted.

"C'mon Yuuku! Let's give all our power to their love!" Crystallene laughed. "I don't care how corny it sounds, let's show them the power their bond has when it's backed with our desire to see them happy!"

"You GOT it!" Yuuku insisted. Though she could not stand up, she did know the spell… "Take this, guys! Our strong feelings combined! **MINISTRO-SOCIUS!**"

A crystalline javelin that glowed brightly popped into the air over Crystallene's head. Ribera gasped.

"That light…what are they up to?"

Trainer and Kim stood together, holding hands as the javelin pierced them both. They felt rejuvenated as new power rushed through their bodies.

"Yes…this is not only our strength coming back to us, but the strength of our friends!" Kim realized.

"Time to kick…some ASS!" Trainer yelled.

"TESTIFY!" Kim laughed.

The metallic manta ray and the aura warrior had been grappling the whole time, but now the warrior grew THREE TIMES as big as he'd been before! Before Ribera and Steven's horrified eyes, the manta ray was broken up in the warrior's fists, turned into tiny pieces of trash. Ribera gasped as his headphones fell to the ground, reverting back to normal and breaking in half.

"They…they…" His eyes went wide.

"THEY BROKE IT?!?" Steven howled. "How?!?"

"I TOLD you!" Trainer roared as she punched the air before her and the aura-summoned warrior rushed forward, fist a-blaze. "This is a spell you don't' stand a chance again! For somebody who fights for fun…my resolve is different than yours!"

THA-THUDDA-BOOOM!

Steven let out an oath just before he was blown into the wall. The book was set alight, and Ribera looked on as Kim ran over to Trainer and the two wrapped their arms around each other, crying softly into each other.

"Heh…they look so perfect together." Yuuku said. "I feel so envious!"

"Awwww…" Ribera crawled forward and picked up his headphones. "Man…these were my first pair...my **only** pair!" He complained. He lowered his head and sighed. "Oh well…" He whispered as his body began to dissolve into light. "Not a bad match at all…heh…"

He looked up. "Hey! Ladies!"

They all turned to look at him as he stood up and held onto his headphone pieces in one hand, pointing with his other. "You're the strongest fighters I've **ever** faced. So I want to say…"

He walked over to Kim and Trainer, then held his hand forth. "Nice fight."

"…of course." Trainer said, taking the disappearing hand as best she could. "Nothing else needs to be said."

"…hey…just one request…" Ribera added softly.

He handed them his broken headphones. "Could you do a favor for me? Next time you're in Eskiltuna, Sweden…that's where my old partner is buried…we had our last fight there and I guess he just never left the town. Could you…put this on his grave?" He requested. "I just didn't have the heart to say goodbye…"

"…we will." Kim said, taking the broken pair of headphones. "Take care."

"You too." Ribera said, smiling. He suddenly stiffened and looked up into the sky as his body began to break up even faster into light. He felt a tiny tug at his soul…

"…_Stefan_?" He whispered.

And with that, he vanished into the air, rising upward. Kim and the others all headed for the door, walking purposefully. The others were waiting.

**REVIEW! By the way, Ribera belongs to...well, Stefan Ribera from Deviantart! If you've never heard of him, you're a twerp. You're also a twerp if you don't review, heh-heh-ha-ha-ha!**

**???: Aloha! You must be David's brother!**

**Nick: What the? Why is my BROTHER your PARTNER?**

**???: Be glad YOU'RE not the one enslaved by Shadow's will, kid.**

**Chops: I don't understand...you seem to have a heart. Why are you fighting for 086?**

**???: I'm sorry kid, I don't want to see your agony, but I CAN'T go back to being a pod again! I just...I _can't_...**

**Dude: We need to free this guy from all the pain he's in, guys...he's SERIOUSLY hurtin' inside.**

**Nick: We'll do everything we can on the next "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"!**


	24. Sympathy for the Devil!

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

**"****悪魔への共感****" ****！****100****年の痛みを完！**

"**Sympathy for the Devil"! End the Pain of 100 Years!**

**-------------------------------------------------------------**

They hadn't moved a muscle. They were testing something out and whispering.

"All right…here's what I need you to do…" Nick whispered to Heartwing. "You have to run around the room on your own so we can find where the experiment who's controlling the light orbs is. I've got a plan…but do you think you can run without being hit?"

Heartwing nodded.

"Alright. Go for it." Nick whispered.

"**INSONS-DRACO!**" Dude shouted.

Heartwing rose up in the air and whizzed around the room, talons and claws "clacking" on the ground. The light orbs swirled around, firing out lasers at him with every single move he made.

"I knew it!" Nick thought to himself. "They've been moving around in a particular motion…and aiming at sound. But they're moving in an orbit. Now close your eyes…picture their movement in your mind…"

Nick closed his eyes. He imagined the dots moving around like they were stars in the sky…like planets in a solar system, circling around the sun. Where…where would the "sun" be here?

…ah-ha!

He opened his eyes and pointed at a spot in the room…right dead in the center!

"THERE!" Nick shouted, pointing forward. "**IEADO IEDO!**"

Chopsuey swung his fists and the fist-shaped bolts of energy swung through the air, striking the middle. A huge explosion rocked the room as a large chunk of the floor was blown away.

"Ah…not bad at all!" They heard a voice say. A glowing rainbow light was shining up from the dark abyss of the hole. The voice was slightly low in tone, but there was a certain…nobility in it. And a faint melodic happiness.

"So he's showing himself…" Nick said quietly.

The experiment rose up into the air, hands on his hips as an rainbow light surrounded him. He had thick brown locks upon his head that were brushed back and went down the back of his head almost like a mane. He had strong arms, and was four feet tall, taller than most experiments. His black eyes had a green tint to the bottom and his nose was small, and shaped like a gumdrop. Much of his fur, save for the fur of his chest and stomach was a rather dark shade of grey, with the chest, stomach and nose being a lighter shade of grey. He was pants that were made of many colors stitched together and had a large belt with a big silver buckle.

His book owner…it was a brown-haired kid who was wearing a tanned shirt, jeans and dark shoes. He had brown eyes…and Nick knew this boy surrounded by rainbow light. It had been quite a while, but he knew his name!

"D-D-David?!" Nick gasped.

"So you know my book owner?...oh, you must be Nick, David's brother. First thing's first…excuse me for hiding myself. Controlling the aura orbs takes a lot of skill. At first it took a great deal of effort just to get them to go in a circle, but now I can move them like they're my hands and feet. Nice, huh?" The experiment asked, smiling.

"Get ready Nick…I think this is the strongest experiment we've faced so far." Chopsuey said. "I know it'll be tough fighting your brother, but try and remember he's not conscious, so if we knock him out…"

"Right, right…" Nick muttered, shaking slightly. "I…I can do this."

"My name is Ahinahina." The experiment said, waving slightly. " It'll be fun to fight against you. I used to be partner with your grandpa, Ross…"

Nick's eyes went wide. "G-Grandpa…"

"Yes, he was a good man. Now then…let's do this." The experiment said. "Dave?"

"**Phasma-Lux!**"

The orbs of light that were circling around them clumped together and fired off lasers once again.

"**Adversor!**" Nick shouted, and Chopsuey raised his shield up to block the attack.

"Hmm…if that's ALL your shield can do, then…it ain't enough." Ahinahina said, frowning slightly as the shield broke apart. "And it only protects from the front!" He added as the lasers fired down at them from the back.

"As long as it protects from the front, it can make a road!" Nick yelled, pointing at the book in Dave's hands.

"Forgive me David…" Nick thought quietly as he yelled out "IAEDO". Chopsuey swung his fist and the green, fist-shaped energy blast sailed forth…

Ahinahina turned his head and smiled.

"**Aduro-Lucis!**" Dave yelled.

His partner snapped his fingers and the light orbs vanished…then the aura around Ahinahina swirled forth and coated David in a beautiful stream of rainbow blaze. The fist blast dissipated against it, not even going within two feet of Dave.

"He blocked it?!" Chopsuey gasped out.

"So he can use that aura for defensive purposes too?" Nick wondered.

"How _kind_ you are." The experiment complimented, a gentle smile appearing on his face. "You used your weakest spell to attack Dave. Even though your family left you alone, you still feel a close bond to him…that's sweet. Unfortunately I'm not holding back…" He raised his clawed hands. "That's what a true battle's all about: going all out!"

"**PHASMA-LUX!**" Dave shouted.

Light orbs shot up from Ahinahina's hands, and they swirled around, shooting out lasers at our protagonists, who were sent to the ground, groaning in pain. Suddenly Nick saw an orb appear right in front of his face…

"_Aloha_." Ahinahina said quietly, clenching his fist…

FWOOSH!

Dude pulled him out of the way just as the laser blasted. Ahinahina frowned. "That was an odd little fluke. David, try again!"

"**PHASMA-LUX!**" He yelled out, as a small circle of orbs fired off again.

"Don't…call it…a FLUKE!" Dude yelled as he and Heartwing yanked Nick and Chopsuey out of harm's way once again.

"What? He…can _dodge_ them?" The grey experiment thought.

"Remember what I said earlier…" Dude said to the others. "It's all in the eyes. I can see Heartwing's feelings in them…let him know what we gotta do…"

Nick blinked…then nodded. "Alright…the eyes ARE the gateway to the soul!"

He and Chopsuey looked right into Ahinahina's eyes…and then gasped.

"N-Nick…" Chops whispered.

"I know…I feel it too." Nick said quietly. "Looking into his eyes I can feel such intense power. But…" He felt a twinge of pity rise in him. "Some part of his soul seems to be…crying…"

"…wait a minute…hey, Nick..." The grey experiment called out, blinking slowly.

"Wh-what?" Nick asked, looking a little nervous.

"I just remembered…when I was stuck as a pod, I had a lot of things happen to me, but I remember there was one particular human…" He scratched his head. "Are you…are you the human that did all those weird things to me in your room!?" He asked, looking nervous and embarrassed.

Nick blinked. Then it hit him. The pod had been colored the exact same shade of grey that Ahinahina was!

"…er…**oops**?" He apologized.

"AAARRRRGGH! IT WAS YOU!" The 100-year-old experiment howled, hair bristling on all ends, eyes going white with rage as his muscles bulged. "YOU HUMILATED ME! **I'M SURPRISED YOU DIDN'T STICK ME IN YOUR MOUTH AND CHEW MY LIKE A ****GUMBALL!!!**"

"Uh, now wait, I didn't know you were an EXPERIMENT!" Nick defended. "I'm really, really-"

"YOU ROTTEN LITTLE…_**ARRRGH**_!!!" Ahinahina howled, tearing at his hair.

"Dude, what did you DO to him?" Dude asked.

"This really ISN'T the time!" Nick whimpered.

"**CREPUSCULUM!"** Dave yelled out, reading from the book.

"**INSONS DRACO!**" Dude called out.

The light orbs vanished as the aura swirled around Ahinahina. He slammed his fists forward, clenching his thick, big claws, and a sharp, X-shaped blast rushed forward at them, pulsing and dangerous…

WHA-BOOOOOOM!

The smoke cleared. The wall just behind them had been reduced to almost nothing…but they'd gotten lucky. Heartwing had been able to carry them away.

"_He has so much strength…why…__why__?"_ Nick thought. Finally he could take it no more and slammed his fist into the ground, shouting.

"You have all that strength! Why don't you fight back against your "Master"! My grandfather would never have fought along somebody who wasn't good! And I think you know deep down that Master is evil! Why don't you fight back!?! **DON'T YOU HAVE A HEART?!?**"

Ahinahina was quiet for what seemed to be an eternity. Then a small smile appeared on his face.

"A heart…" He murmured softly. His fur and eyes returned to normal…but now his ears, which had been hanging long and low, seemed pressed against his head in shame. The grey experiment looked down slightly before he spoke again. "It's true, 100 years ago…I had a heart…I was actually found by your grandfather..."

Nick blinked. What? Found?

"My creator had made me when he'd heard about a contest that would be taking place on Earth…a competition among experiments. Mr. "Ahead of His Time" made me to be a defender of the Earth, but felt I was too…erratic in behavior. So he discarded me…and your grandpa found me. This outfit was made during my first week with him when I was trying to make some pants…I couldn't decide what color to use so I picked them all…heh-heh…"

Ahinahina looked up at them. "100 years ago I grew to love the world I was created to defend. I wanted to stop the battle between experiments and to make the ones that were sent here understand that they didn't **have** to fight…that they could live in peace and find families here the way I had. But…that was a long time ago. Now…now my strength comes from fear…"

He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "And I…will show you…what that strength is LIKE!"

"He's not just talking big, the dude MEANS what he's saying, man!" Dude insisted.

"Quick, cast "Imperium"!" Chopsuey said.

"I'll cast "Insons-Draco", you cast your spell, let's do a double-team!" Dude suggested.

"My thoughts exactly!" Nick said, opening his spell book. "**Imperium!**"

Chopsuey's body grew in size, muscles bulging as his body became encased in a rainbow aura. Heartwing was covered in the white aura of an angel as he rushed forward with Chops at Ahinahina, who turned to Dave.

"**Lumen-Verecundia!"** Dave called out.

The rainbow light of the grey experiment swirled around him, and his claws and talons got bigger as HIS body increased in size. He backhanded Chopsuey and Heartwing, knocking them away with a single blow.

"WA-WHAAA!?!" Nick gasped.

"I'll have some of whatever HE'S smoking!" Dude cried out.

"Attack from both sides! Full force!" Nick suggested.

Heartwing jumped through and the air and swirled around to bash Ahinahina's left, while Chopsuey growled and raced forward, thrusting his fist forward at the right…

KA-WHUMP!

Ahinahina simply raised both his clawed hands and grabbed their necks with incredible speed. They gasped in pain as he turned to look at them, one at a time. "You've got great strength…I like that." He admitted. "You know I used to fight like that. I faced my opponent head on, looking into their eyes. I felt great love for others because they were my _ohana_…you understand that concept…don't you?" He asked Nick. "I felt they were all my family because all of us wanted to live and be happy. But…I can't be so kind anymore. Because I was too kind…"

He growled and a cruel glint entered his eyes. **"I WAS TRAPPED WITHOUT HELP FOR 100 GOD-DAMNED YEARS!"** He howled, claws clenching deeper into Chopsuey and Heartwing's necks. Blood flowed down and the two cried out in pain.

"STOP!" Nick yelled.

"Let him go!" Dude demanded.

"Alright…fine…but you won't win." Ahinahina said, tossing them on the ground. They rose back up and got into fighting stances. "Hmm…if only I'd been this strong 100 years ago."

…

…

…

…if only. Those are the two cruelest words of all time…

Ahinahina stood there, panting heavily as his fur was bristling along with his "mane" of hair. His pants were covered in sweat as he wiped his brow for the eighteenth time. He stood side by side with a young 10-year-old boy. Ross's brown hair whipped back in the air as he stood there, glasses slightly cracked. It was amazing how much his grandson would turn out to look like him.

Ahinahina was facing down a black experiment that had claws instead of fingers, with a furry black body and a whispy tail. He had wings made of bone that jutted out ominously, and eyes that were even darker than his fur. His teeth were the color of blood, and he sneered angrily with his fangs. His partner, an English boy with reddish/blond hair that was parted to the side, was as tired as Ross was.

Ahinahina managed to smile as he clenched his fist. Rushing forward he slammed his clawed fist into Samael's face again, sending the beast flying back. Samael thrust his bony wings up and belched out a black burst from his mouth, but Ahinahina ducked down, avoiding it.

Claws digging slightly into the dirt as he panted, Ahinahina smiled more broadly. "Well, Sammy…I have to say, if I had known what kind of scum you were at the start of this great contest I would have been willing to spend my whole life tracking you down! Eating book owners? Murdering innocent bystanders? You've got no shame! Just because you use dark energy doesn't mean you have to be evil."

"Spare me the Freud. You're a lost little puppy desperate for love…" Samael's chilling, pitiless voice laughed. "It will be interesting to see what happens when I burn YOUR book…perhaps your body will go to HELL?!"

"This attack is gonna send you over the white cliffs of Dover!" Ross yelled. **"CREPUSCU-"**

Samael smirked and slashed at the ground, sending sand up into both of their eyes. They staggered back, rubbing quickly, and were about to re-attack when-

"STOOOOP!" A young voice screamed.

Ross and Ahinahina gasped as their eyesight cleared. Samael was smirking, claws wrapped around the neck of a young girl with big, fearful black eyes.

"If-if you attack me, this…this demon will…he'll…" She managed to gasp out in between sobs.

"Please don't hurt her! That's my little sister! Samael forced me to fight by taking her hostage!" The book keeper Lance begged. "Please don't hurt her!"

"Aw, you'd NEVER wanna hurt a little girl, would you Ahinahina? Or you, Ross?" Samael laughed.

Ahinahina blinked a few times, his body quivering with horror. How could ANYONE sink so low? Then he thought about it.

It…it HAD to be a trick, he thought as he grit his teeth. He hadn't smelled or seen the girl before… this had to be a trap!

"Don't get fooled, Ross! This is a trick! Call out the spell!" He insisted.

"R-Right! **CREPUSCUL-********"**

"NOOOOOOO!" The girl howled.

Ahinahina's eyes went wide. He couldn't move…he couldn't speak…that horrible, heart-wrenching wail…he couldn't bring himself to hurt a little girl…

"I…I can't…" Ross sobbed as he closed the book. "I can't do it…"

"…I…I…" Ahinahina couldn't even finish his sentence. Then…

"Heh…compassion has always been your biggest weakness for both of you." Samael laughed, and as he did so, the girl vanished, shimmering into nothingness. It had been a dark energy illusion…and now Ahinahina was open. Samael's bony wings lashed out and struck him on both shoulders.

"AAA! ROSS…A…A SPELL!" He yelled out.

Ross tried to run forward to stop this, but Lancelot smirked and drew a small knife, tossing it. It struck Ross in the shoulder and he went down, holding onto the wound. Then…

**"KOKUNAYARIKATA!"** Lancelot shouted, reading from the book.

Dark energy surged through Samael's wings, pumping into Ahinahina, who screamed as he felt knives get SLAMMED into him over and over…his life ebbed away…and then…

Darkness…cramped darkness…but he could sense Ross grabbing him and running as Samael laughed and laughed along with Lancelot…

Tears…

…tears…

…

…

….

…tears popped up in Ahinahina's eyes as he clenched his claws. Ross had returned home, and his mother had eventually tossed Ahinahina's pod away without the boy knowing. He had been alone for so long…even though he knew it had been a trap, he'd been too kind-hearted to attack…

"RRRR…RRRAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHH!" He howled, eyes going white once more as his fur bristled.

Dave yelled out a new spell. **"Ferocia-Luxae!"**

Ahinahina's aura swirled around his body and then shout out like tentacles, aiming for Nick and Dude! Chops and Hearting jumped up and were grabbed instead…

But then the tentacles split up and grabbed Nick and Dude all the same. All four were then slammed into each other, held by the rainbow tentacles that kept them from moving from that one spot. Ahinahina lowered his raised arm and shrugged, holding up his hands slightly as he closed his eyes.

"That's what ya get when you're a nice guy who tries to look out for people." He said simply. "As long as the human can still hold onto the book, things'll be alright. If you let the humans take care of themselves, then you can keep on the offense."

"How can you say something like that?!" Chopsuey growled. "That's just…cruel…would you have abandoned Ross back when you were fighting with him?"

"That was many years ago. You don't understand how I've felt all these years. In order to keep from turning into a pod…I have to be cruel. I never held back when I had to fight before and I won't hold back now. Try to imagine it…" He said softly. "Seeing one of your own ohana being tortured before your eyes…body shrinking, convulsing, screaming as he was reduced to pod form…"

Ahinahina clenched his clawed fists. "I DON'T CARE IF I BECOME A TERRIBLE BEAST…_I WON'T GO BACK TO THAT PRISON I WAS IN FOR 100 YEARS!_"

Nick gasped. "You saw another experiment who was released from his pod form getting turned BACK?!"

"Not all the way, thankfully. He broke down into tears and begged for mercy, so 086 spared him." Ahinahina admitted. "Furthermore, Master Shadow said that if we swore allegiance to him…we'd be able…if we wanted…to make a wish of him. Whatever we wanted from this world, we could have, and I wanted to have a Grey with me again because it was familiar. After all, what…" He lowered his head and a single tear fell down his cheek. "What could a monster like me call home?...I can never belong here on this world…"

He raised his palm up and focused. A swirling mass of aura began to form into an "X" above their heads once more.

"Be grateful to your brother." Ahinahina said quietly. "086 had wanted to use your father or mother originally, but David begged on his knees to use him instead. I won't forget his tears…his pitiful cries…" He sighed sadly, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "He begged not to fight against you…and I had wanted to keep that promise, but it seems I can't. So I promise that once I've killed you, I'll allow him to bring your body back to your parents for a decent burial."

"David…begged…?" Nick whimpered.

"I promise, I'll take good care of your brother. But I'm afraid it is time you left this world and said aloha." Ahinahina said gently, clenching his fist. "Please don't hate me, grandson of Ross. But none of us want to go back to that Hell."

**"CREPUSCULUM."** David read out from the book.

The aura beam rushed down at them, blaring over their heads.

"AAAA!!!" Dude screamed.

"AAAA!!!" Chopsuey howled.

"AAAA!!!" Heartwing bawled.

Nick, who had one hand free, tugged on Heartwing's toga in fear…

FWIP!

He slipped right out of them and the aura tentacles…

"Heartwing, HELP!" Nick shouted.

Heartwing leapt up through the air, arms outstretched…

KA-BOOOOOOOM!

…

…

…

…the dust settled. Ahinahina crossed his arms, frowning slightly. "So the dragon shoved you out of the way. Ooh, he looks hurt though…"

Dude was rocking Heartwing back and forth as the little dragon panted heavily. He was covered in bruises, and blood seeped down from the top of his head. Nick looked over at Chopsuey, who stood up, clenching his fists.

"Nick…cast…Imperium." He said slowly.

"What?"

"I can't stand this! This creature…I just can't stand it anymore…" He gasped. "This creature should be our friend…and he's being forced to fight because of fear. I just…I don't want him to suffer anymore!"

Nick realized that tears were streaming down his partner's face…and he had almost never seen him cry. "Chops…" He whispered.

"It's just too cruel to force somebody to fight out of fear…" Chopsuey insisted. "Too…cruel…"

Nick nodded as tears sprung to his eyes. This fight was too cruel. His brother was being forced to fight…his little brother who was so strong…who had never let emotions rule him…they'd made him cry…and they were making someone who had once been so kind turn into a beast…

**"IMPERIUM!"** Nick shouted. The rainbow light shot around Chopsuey as his body surged.

"You don't have to be afraid!" He shouted. "I promise that I'll be your cousin! Nick and I will join your _ohana_!" He insisted, placing his hand on his chest. "So will Heartwing and Dude, and all of our other friends!" He shouted at the grey experiment.

"Sh…sh..shut up!" Ahinahina yelled, clutching at his head.

**"Verecundia!"** David yelled.

His partner's body surged with power as well, and he grappled with Chopsuey. "I…I don't want your pity!" The grey experiment yelled.

"When I first came here, I thought I was useless because my father had made a superior model…" Chopsuey growled.

Ahinahina blinked. "Wh-what?"

"My father made an experiment 626, and I, experiment 621, became obsolete. I entered this contest to prove that I could be strong…but over time I realized that I didn't just want to become strong enough to beat my brother…but strong enough to prove to my father that I could be of worth! To make my father happy!" He insisted.

"Everyone wants to make their family happy!" Nick yelled at the grey experiment. "And if you let us join your _ohana_…we'll make you happy and protect you…you can live with us…we won't let you get turned into a pod…we promise!"

"We…PROMISE!" Chopsuey gasped out.

Ahinahina blinked softly. Then he snarled and shoved Chopsuey back. Clenching one fist, he pointed at Chops. "Are you saying **you'll** become the champion? That **you'll** be the last one standing?! You think you have that power?!?"

"Yes!" Chopsuey yelled.

"We BOTH do!" Nick shouted.

"Together we've been fighting so that I can become a kind-hearted champion who can convince our father out of making his children fight!" Chopsuey said, slamming his fist on his chest.

An experiment who was trying to convince others that they didn't have to fight…and going right to the source…

Ahinahina took in a harsh breath. Then the experiment grinded his teeth, body quivering madly. "Stop…stop saying that…" He gasped, holding his head. "I can't…how can I believe that? Your words…they're…"

He began to cry, the tears slipping down his cheeks. "Your words are just so beautiful, but…but how could I believe them? How…" He whispered. "Can you _truly_ erase my fear?"

He raised his fists to the sky. "IF YOU CAN'T STOP THIS SPELL…THEN THERE WOULD BE NO WAY YOU COULD MATCH "MASTER"!!!" He screamed as tears poured down his grey cheeks.

**"IRIS-ANIMAE!"** David hollered.

The aura rose around Ahinahina, swirling and pulsing to form a beautiful woman with skin that shone like the moon. She was wrapped in a rainbow gown and had beautiful wings of solid gold. Her long blond hair floated around her like a halo as she raised a mighty herald's staff above her head, swinging it around.

"Nick…let's stop this…let's stop this fight that's driven by fear!" Chopsuey shouted.

"All right!" Nick yelled. "I feel the same way! COME ON, RESPOND TO MY FRIEND'S FEELINGS, BOOK! **KIMAIRA!!!**"

Chopsuey stretched out his arms as the green aura rose around him, up into the air, forming the patchwork monster. Roaring it lunged at the woman in the rainbow gown, who rushed forward, thrusting her staff into it's mouth. The two spells grappled in midair, neither one giving an inch.

"That's a lot…of strength…but…it's…not…ENOUGH!" Ahinahina roared, flexing his claws. "And you think you can become the champ with that power?!? DON'T BE STUPID!"

…

…

…

… "_You_…become champion." Ahinahina asked as he crossed his arms and stood in front of Master.

"Yes. And if you cooperate with me…I can grant you a wish. Whatever you want from this world can be yours…a country…gold…land…"

"You truly think you can become the champion?" Ahinahina asked, frowning. "I don't know if I should listen to somebody like you…your eyes…they're too much like HIS…"

"Oh really? Well…" The experiment before Ahinahina smirked and looked RIGHT into his eyes. "You could try and oppose me…but then you'd just go back to that hell that is your pod…"

"N-No, I…I can't…can't deal with that…" Ahinahina gasped out.

…

…

…

… "There's no hope…how can this poor fool possibly…" Ahinahina muttered as his spell shattered the chimera and whizzed towards Chopsuey. Then he saw a sight that he was amazed by…

Chopsuey had his arms thrust forward and was stopping the herald's staff all by himself. Even as blood poured from, staining his white Mohawk and chest, he refused to give in.

"CHOPS! NO! YOU'LL DIE!" Nick screamed.

"Green dude, no!" Dude shouted.

"NOOOO!" Heartwing cried out.

"He's…he's all talk, he's…he's…" Ahinahina muttered.

"_And if you let us join your ohana…we'll make you happy and protect you…you can live with us…we won't let you get turned into a pod…we promise!"  
_

"_Together we've been fighting so that I can become a kind-hearted champion who can convince our father out of making his children fight!"_

They…would become his _ohana_?

They would?

They…

Would…

Become…

His…

_Ohana_?

KRA-KA-KOOOOOOOMMMM!

TINKLE-TINKLE-TINKLE…

The messenger of the gods and her staff dissolved into light in a massive explosion. The wind began to settle in a few minutes to reveal Nick, lying on his stomach, panting along with Dude and Heartwing. They looked up to see Chopsuey standing there, breathing heavily.

"Chops…you're alright…you're…WOAH!"

Ahinahina now stood in front of Chopsuey, still obscured by the smoke that had arisen from the explosion of the last attack. A few moments later…

He reached out and put his hand on Chopsuey's shoulder, smiling happily. Then he raised his fist and pointed at the ceiling.

**"Crepusculum!"** Dave yelled.

Ahinahina shot forth the X-shaped aura blast that struck the top of the roof, opening up a large hole.

"We can reach the upper level with my floating spell. Then I'll lead you to the Destiny Crystal, where you can regain your strength. You know…you guys are really strong." Ahinahina admitted. "And…and I…"

He sobbed, tears plopping to the ground. "Was so…so damn WEAK…forgive me…please…" He begged, getting on his hands and knees. "How could I have been so cruel as to fight my own family with an intent to kill…"

Chopsuey lifted him up. "I forgive you." He said.

…but it wasn't just to HIM that he was saying it. Ahinahina looked up and his eyes filled with joy as he wiped his tears away with one arm. "…ma…mahalo…thank you so much." He said. Standing back up, he turned to Dave. "Dave? Say the spell."

"**PSYCHE!**" David announced. A rainbow aura surrounded them all and they began to go up, up, up into the air, towards the large hole.

"Soon you'll be able to recharge your power. Just hold on." He told them.

…

…

…

…soon, all of them were deposited on a big, open terrace. There was a large row of columns that were in front of a huge double-door at the end of the terrace…though the view was spectacular. The blue sky was a welcome sight, and gentle clouds puffed by as a beautiful breeze blew through them, like a breath of life.

"This is the place." Ahinahina said, nodding. He pointed forward. "First that room, then another…then you're right in the room with the Destiny Crystal." He said.

Chopsuey looked up at the part of the ruins before them. There was a tower-tip at the top, rounded and golden, and a small window overlooking the terrace. It seemed to have an ominous feel to it…you almost felt that somebody was watching you, but you could only see them out of the corner of your eye…

"Hey…your name is Chopsuey, experiment 621, right? And that one…the cute little dragon, his name is Heartwing, experiment 421?" The grey experiment asked Chops. "Did you…did you really mean it when you said you'd be my ohana?" He asked softly.

Chopsuey nodded and smiled at him. "Heck yeah! In fact it seems like I'm getting a bigger ohana every day!"

"There's always room for more when it comes to people you care about." Nick said.

Heartwing promptly bounded up to Ahinahina and began licking him in the face. "Little dude says he'll be YOUR friend too!" Dude told the grey experiment.

Ahinahina promptly licked Heartwing right back, and the dragon beamed. "Mahalo!" He said. "But we've got to be on the lookout." He told them as Dude and Nick came over to him and Dave. "086's not here personally, but even his "imprint" is strong…and he's a cunning devil, so we gotta fight carefully."

"Right." Nick said, nodding his head.

Ahinahina grinned and clenched his fist. "I'll fight with you guys and help ya kick 0-8-6's a-s-s!"

"All right!" Dude said. "B-tchin'."

Ahinahina turned to look at Dave. "Nick, I don't know if your brother will be able to fight against 086's manipulation and listen to me in a fight…and I don't know what might happen to him if he's not fully AWAKE…but all the same…" He grinned again. "I'll do everything I can to help you!"

"Aw, I just love sappy moments like this." Nick said happily.

"You guys opened my eyes to the truth. I can't thank you enough!" The fanon line experiment insisted.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha…"

Ahinahina's body riddled with shivers. His eyes went wide with fear. That horrible sound…that pitiless, rapid laughing!

"So you've become an idiot too." 086 remarked as he suddenly appeared, using his telekinesis to float through the air. He crossed his arms and smirked coldly at them.

"086…you freaking…" Ahinahina growled.

"Ha-HA!" He laughed, grinning evilly. Then, suddenly, they heard it…the call of a book keeper. HIS book keeper!

"**GAIAKU!**"

A flame appeared at the tips of his long claws, and that flame suddenly shot out…

And struck Ahinahina's book.

"AAA!" The grey experiment cried as he watched his book burst into flames.

"Looks like you won't have TIME to fight against me." 086 said in a condescending tone.

Ahinahina growled. "You…God…DAMN…" He snarled, slamming his fist into the ground below.

"You book!" Chops gasped.

"I…I wanted to fight alongside you, and not against you…" Ahinahina said quietly. "I'm sorry…without my book, I…"

"I thought you were smarter than this." 086 said, shaking his head. "I can't believe you'd throw away the chance for happiness that I was offering you…you should have listened to me. Where could a monster like you belong?" He remarked, pointing at the grey experiment.

"Chance for happiness?" Ahinahina asked, smirking. "Are you SERIOUS? Eh-heh-ha-ha-ha!" He laughed. "What good was your promise? Your so called "gift" that would have filled my dream of keeping a Grey by my side…the string attached was to my soul. You tried to make me your puppet!"

086 frowned slightly. He didn't like what this being was getting at…

"All your words did was make me feel fear at being turned into a pod if I didn't do what you said!" Ahinahina spat at 086. "But…but this guy and his book keeper…"

Ahinahina stood up and put his arms around Nick and Chopsuey. "Their words gave me hope when I could feel nothing but cold all around me." He said bravely. "They said they'd be my _ohana_ and destroyed my fear of turning back into a pod!" He laughed. "And since you burnt my book, now I can't be TURNED back into a pod!" He laughed.

Now 086's frown also came complete with a look that could kill.

"You're a **_stupidhead_**!" Ahinahina laughed, pointing at 086 with a claw. "You've got no reason to act so smart anymore, you stinking psycho! These guys are gonna kick your ass to the moon and back, and I'm going to be laughing all the-"

"**GAIAKU!**"

Another flash of fire struck the book. Ahinahina gasped…and then it happened.

He vanished. Just like that. Nothing remained…

**Ahinahina, aka Grey, is my creation, and 086, aka Shadow, is LDC's creation. Hope this chapter tides you over until Christmas is over! Please review! Now...for another preview!**

**Nick: You BEETARD! How COULD YOU!?!**

**086: Die clutching despair at the claws of my army of fanon experiments!**

**Haley: Oh, I don't think so!**

**Nick: Never thought I'd be grateful to see YOU guys...**

**Chops: What the? Kila...is something wrong?**

**Kila: You'll find out just what on the next "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"!**


	25. Fury of Haley, Sorrow of Kila!

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**

**劇的な暴露！ヘイリーのフューリー！ ****Kila****の悲哀！**

**Dramatic Appearances! The Fury of Haley! The Sorrow of Kila!**

**---------------------------------------------------------------**

"…no…" Chops murmured.

"AHINAHINA!" Nick screamed. "Wh…where did he?"

"Probably to Hell!" 086 laughed. "Where else would a freakish little monster like him belong? He has no place on this Earth anymore. And neither do you."

"You know, you're not that smart." Nick said, snickering.

086 frowned. "What did you say, MONKEY?"

"Burning his book right in front of me confirmed my theory…tell me psycho, _weren't you going to turn him back into a pod for disobeying you?_" Nick shouted.

086's eyes turned steely and cold. "…clever little brat, aren't you?" 086 whispered. "Why don't you be a good little brat and die in despair." He commanded, snapping his fingers.

BA-WHOOSH!

One by one fanon-line experiments appeared before Nick, Chops, Dude, Heartwing and the unconscious David. Nick gasped.

"Go have some fun." 086 laughed.

"Oh crap, I've got no heart power left!" Nick moaned. "Guys, we've gotta…"

"We…fight…" Chops growled.

"EVIL, EVIL!" Heartwing cried, pointing at 086.

"WE WILL NOT FORGIVE YOU!" Chops screamed as he rushed forward with Heartwing at the fray of fanon experiments.

"You're taking us all on? Are you stupid or something?" One of the fanon line experiments laughed…but he was soon silenced when Chops punched him clear through the sky, and he slammed into his book owner a moment later. Striking, biting and kicking, slashing, clawing and screaming, Heartwing and Chops struck over and over at the fanon line, while Nick stood up along with Dude.

"We've got to…get beyond that door." Nick said to Dude, pointing at the door that led to the Destiny Crystal. "There we can restore ourselves…"

086 sneered. "Well looky here…guess who's come back?"

"Yoohooo!"

Everyone froze. "Oh NO." Chops moaned.

"Oh FUDGE." Nick groaned.

"PRECIOUS!" They both shouted.

Precious was there, being held aloft by "Sprite", while Snafu sat on top of Bloodfang. Both looked down at the fight and then at each other.

"Aw, shame on you!" Precious spoke up, giggling. "Teasing Chops like that! Why don'tcha just aim for the book keeper?"

"BLAST THEM!" Snafu laughed.

"My only regret is that my last meal was my own words." Nick whimpered as the blasts whizzed through the air…

"**ATRUM-PASSIM!**" A voice yelled out.

THA-THA-WHOOM!

Every single one of the attacks that had been headed in their direction were OBLITERED by a huge force of dark energy that negated the assault. 086 frowned angrily while Nick and Dude looked up.

"That darkness spell…could it be?" Shadow wondered.

There they were, at the top of the castle…a dark dragon and a girl from New York.

"The dragon of the dark book…Nightwing." 086 muttered.

"If you mess with them, you answer to ME, y'heard?" The girl shouted. "HALEY LONG!"

"Ah, I do love her spunk." Nightwing commented in that cool, deceptively soft voice.

"So YOU'RE 621. We've heard a lot about you. Glad to see you've made it this far." Haley said as she and Nightwing jumped down…and Nick noticed that she sprouted WINGS from her back! Pinkish/purple ones!

"Wh-WHAAA?! You're an alien too?" Nick asked as Chops and Heartwing bounded over to them.

"No, a dragon." Haley said. "Now, uh, could you step back? I need some room up in here so we can TRASH these losers."

"Uh, sure!" Nick said, stepping back along with the others.

Haley then raised her hand. "Claw of the dragon." She said nonchalantly, transforming one finger into a black claw. She then calmly traced a line in the stone. "Don't pass that line if you're fond of living, comprende?"

"Sure." Nick said immediately.

"Absolutely." Dude agreed.

"Wh-what are you doing just standing there? Destroy those insects and send them to Hell!" 086 snarled.

"Aw, do I hafta?" Sprite asked. "I hate this stupid fight…"

"Don't be such a baby." Bloodfang laughed. "It's just one dragon and his dumb partner!"

"Oh no he di'in't!" Haley growled, raising her book. "**ACERBUS!**"

"Woah." Nick remarked as a dark ball of energy barreled into a group of warriors. "It's like some kind of bowling!"

"Add some variety to your attacks, don't just RUSH them!" 086 commanded.

It was a fighting frenzy. Haley and Nightwing ducked and dodged while Haley called out spells that Nightwing sent at the approaching warriors. Nobody could seem to get ahold of them, though that's not to say one didn't try…

"HA! Gotcha, girlie!" One yelled, diving at Haley…

THA-WHIP!

Actually it was Nightwing's tail who had HIM. He was forcibly thrown into the air, and an "ATER" blast sent him and his book keeper flying.

"Why YOU!" Bloodfang howled, his mask glowing as his partner readied a spell. "Fucking human!"

"Hey, don't insult her!" Sprite said, her own partner looking offended as well.

"Shut up, girly!" Bloodfang snapped at Sprite. "If not for the fact that I can't use spells against you, I'd kick your ass! Besides flying, all you have is that one dumb-"

"You're ignoring meeee!" Nightwing sang out cheerfully.

"**UMBRA!**"

THA-WUDDA-WUDDA-WUDDA! A large set of chains made from dark energy shot out from Nightwing's hands, wrapping around the two flying experiments and sending them down to the ground.

"Why you!" One of the experiments slashed Nightwing across the face…big mistake. Haley suddenly roared, transforming in a blaze of fire into a purple/pink dragon with small wings, sharp fangs, and dark black spikes running down her back. "HANDS OFF!" She yelled, slashing with her claws.

"Can you believe them?" Chops gasped.

"Take a good look at them, dude." Dude said.

"Yeah…we're gonna have to fight them someday." Nick said as he watched the two dragons RAVAGE the competition, their roars rising into the sky. When they weren't slamming their tails into a foe or slashing or slicing with their claws they bit, punched and kicked…the experiments of the fanon line couldn't match their ferocity.

Then Nick noticed something…the book keepers had been blown over the line, and were to the sides of him and his friends!

"Guys, move back!" He shouted. "They're up to something big!"

Quickly they scrambled back, and it was a good thing they did, because a moment later…

"**OMNIS-ACERBUS!**" Haley yelled, holding her book high as it glowed brightly.

THA-SHA-WHOOOOM!

Nightwing spread his wings out and his entire body pulsed with purple energy. He raised his fists into the air and an ENORMOUS beam of dark energy soared up, into the heavens…then it came right back down and SLAMMED into every single one of the experiments, spreading out to encase them in a dome of explosive power…

A few moments later the dome vanished, and the experiments were shown to be totally knocked out…not only that, a few moments later the castle section they were all lying on collapsed, and they went sailing down into the jungle below.

THA-BOOM!

"OOH! You know they ain't getting back up." Haley stated.

"D—n, you go, girl!" Nick complimented.

"Thanks. Now onto business. Shadow, what have you done with my brother?" Haley demanded to know.

"Oh, you REALLY wanna meet her that much, huh?" 086 growled furiously. "You ruined my army…and you DARE ask a request?" But then he smirked. "You know, your brother's been having a wonderful time as my personal toy."

Haley's eyes glinted as she changed back into a human…and Nick saw the emotion on her face as clear as day. He was actually more scared of those eyes NOW then he'd been before, when she'd been fighting alongside her partner.

"Leave this guy to us." Haley insisted.

"Alright. We'll burn the fanon line books and free them." Nick said, nodding. "But 086 is somebody I can't forgive for all he's done…"

"Once we're finished with our stuff, we'll come and help." Chops said.

Haley gave them a stone-cold look. "Oh you don't need to worry about that…he'll be LONG gone by the time you're finished."

"You can't fight an enemy that doesn't exist anymore…" Nightwing added softly.

"You truly hate him that much?" Nick asked.

"He took my brother from me…made him murder people…turned him into a MONSTER." Haley whispered harshly. "Jake was always there for me before…and that…that THING made him see me as an enemy…"

"…I understand." Nick said softly. "…so you'd better give him your all!" Nick insisted, clenching his fist.

"Hmm. You're underestimating me, eh?" 086 mused, rubbing his chin. "Alright…fine then…however I shall not fight you here. The battle of Armageddon shall not take place in the presence of these naïve fools. I'll lead you to where Jake is and we can have a good old-fashioned fight. Don't think you'll win, but it'll be fun to watch you squirm."

Watching 086 'port himself away, Nightwing frowned slightly as he watched Nick and Dude burn the fanon line books, then headed towards the doorway that led to the Destiny Crystal. "Hmm…I can sense somebody in there who tops 086 when it comes to brute force…"

…

…

…

…once they'd thought they'd burnt all of the books of the fanon line experiments, Nick, Dude, Heartwing and Chops had gone into the next room and found that there was a staircase that led up to the room with the Destiny Crystal. But there was a large patch of strange light shining down near a big rock, and guess who came out from behind that rock?

"Hello!" Precious said, waving cheekily.

"You're not going ANYWHERE." Snafu laughed.

"Oh for Pete's sake!" Nick moaned.

"Quick question, uh…is "HE" still around?" Snafu inquired.

"What? Oh, you mean 561…no, he went to go wipe the floor with 086." Dude said. "It'll be a totally groovy fight."

"Oh, PHEW!" Precious said, wiping her brow. "For a second I was really worried!"

"I almost peed my pants!" Snafu admitted.

"…you don't WEAR pants." Chops said, sweatdropping.

"Don't NEED them." Snafu added.

"HOW DARE YOU BEAT UP MY WARRIORS! I WON'T FORGIVE YOOOOUUUU!" Precious howled.

"J.R, Gummer, come on out!" Snafu called out.

Two people stood up from behind the rock…humans. One was J.R, Precious's book keeper. The other was a rather old man who looked like he'd done army time. He had a rather round head and was completely bald…or maybe he shaved? Hard to tell.

"**Mise-en-plis!"** J.R announced as Precious sent waves of gold flying at them. Quickly our protagonists dodged, but they couldn't do much else, since Nick's heart power was so depleted.

Luckily, there was SOME mercy. When Gummer tried to read the spells…

"Abohtah!" Gummer announced.

Nothing happened. Everyone looked over at Snafu, who bounded up and down, moaning. "AW, COME ON!" He complained. "You were supposed to get your dentures fixed at the dentist! F—king HMO!"

"That sucks." Nick remarked.

"Try again." Precious said, rolling her eyes.

"Ifahmah!" Gummer spoke. STILL nothing happened.

"This is embarrassing." Chops admonished.

Gummer tried to whistle. Snafu began to tug on his own tentacles, groaning in aggravation. "It won't work if you try to do it in BIRD CALLS!" He complained.

"Fine, I'LL trash them!" Precious laughed.

"Open your eyes, Precious! What you're doing is wrong!" Chops yelled.

"You're the one who's wrong! YOU STEPPED ON MY HEART WITH STILETTO SHOES!" Precious howled, clenching her fist. "J.R, finish them with our strongest spell!"

"Oh we're boned!" Dude gasped.

**"MARIN-"** J.R began.

THA-WHOOP!

"I'll take THAT!" Spud laughed, appearing from behind J.R and grabbing his book out of his hands while Morpholomew raced over to the group.

"And I'll take YOU!" Jenny laughed, grabbing J.R by the legs and tugging him down to the ground. She and Carmen sat on him as Dr. Rupert waved at Nick.

"Sorry we're late!" Dr. Rupert laughed. "But a late entrance is more dramatic all the same!"

"Not so fast, rabbit!" Snafu laughed as tentacles shot out, knocking he, Carmen and Jenny at the group while another tentacle snatched the book away. "Forgot about ME?"

"You alright?" Nick asked as Morpholomew helped Spud up. He noticed they'd come in through a side door on the right end of the room.

"This will make you feel like a million bucks…Destiny Crystal shards!" Spud said, holding up the capsule of shards Morph had stolen earlier. "They'll make you aaaalll better."

Quickly all of them placed their hands around the shards and some of their wounds healed, along with their heart energy. "Ahh…that feels great!" Chops said happily as his body warmed up with life.

"…wait…Dr. Rupert, where's Page?" Nick asked.

"He returned. He protected me and the others to the very end." Dr. Rupert said softly, eyes filled with pain.

Nick, Dude, Heartwing and Chops all gasped. Heartwing began to cry, covering his eyes with his clawed little paw/hands.

"This is no time for sorrowful sadness!" Dr. Rupert insisted, pointing upward. "If we reach the beam of light, we can heal ourselves further!"

"What do you think YOU'RE up to?" Precious growled.

"Yeah, you're not getting past-" Snafu began.

**"Iadeo-Iedo."** Nick announced.

BA-BOOM! Both of them went flying into their book keepers, collapsing. Nick nodded. "Alright, let's get going into the light and-"

"Wait, there's somebody else behind the rock!" Morpholmew said, pointing. "Looks like a girl experiment with…kind of odd golden eyes…"

"Golden eyes?"

Nick and the others looked at the rock in the middle of the beam of strange light, and saw, out of all people, KILA standing there with her partner XR!

"Kila, it's you!" Nick said happily. "Don't worry Dr. Rupert, Kila's a good person, she's-"

Kila raised her hand.

"**IGNIS!**" XR read from the book.

They barely jumped back in time to avoid the flames. Nick gasped in surprise…Heartwing was on fire!

"AAA! AAA!" he screamed, rolling around on the ground, quickly putting the flames out while Dude gently cuddled him.

"Kila, why did you do that!?" Nick shouted. "Don't you hate what Shadow's forcing you to do?" He demanded to know, clenching his fist as he called out to her.

"Come on, just let us go ahead into the next room!" Chops insisted. "So we can destroy the-"

"**EXURO!**" XR read out as Kila twirled her hands around, creating a fiery wheel. She launched it through the air, and everyone scrambled out of the way, though Nick felt warm sparks brush by his cheek.

"Please, Kila, listen to us!" Nick begged. "I don't-"

"NICK!" Chops shouted, suddenly rushing forward and slamming Nick down, holding one hand up…

BA-BAM!

The fiery wheel had whizzed back around like a boomerang and Chops had barely held it off. He groaned in pain as he batted his blazing arm out and turned back to look at Kila.

"I don't get it…she was trying to help us before…" Nick murmured. "Even though you knew it might get you in trouble, you knew you were in the wrong for helping 086…"

"Quick!" Dr. Rupert pointed at the ceiling. "Cover fire!"

"**IADEO IEDO!**" Nick yelled, raising his book. Chopsuey swung his fists at the ceiling, forcing rubble to come down. The other experiments coughed and spluttered, shielding their eyes. When the dust cloud cleared…

"They're GONE?" Precious remarked.

"Alright, listen!" Nick whispered as they hit behind a "rock" that was really Morpholomew. "We have to find out why Kila's acting like this…and it'll be easier if they're our allies, so Chops…make friends with Precious!"

Chops gulped. "B-but…" He protested.

"What ELSE can we do?" Morpholomew remarked softly.

"Hey, Precious!" Nick said, standing up with Chopsuey coming from behind him. "Chops said he's sorry for what he's done and wants to be friends with you!"

"REALLY?" Precious asked happily, as little butterflies whizzed around her head and she blushed in bliss. "You wanna get MARRIED?"

**SFX: Ba-BOING!**

"Uh…no, not…that…" Chops gulped out.

"YOU ASSHOOOOOLE!" Precious growled, jumping up and down, spit flying everywhere from her mouth, making Snafu go "ew" as he wiped it off with his tentacles.

"CHOPS, what the heck!?!" Nick shouted.

"Go kiss her already, you wuss!" Morpholomew said, turning back to normal.

"Yeah, come on! Be a man!...or a dog…or whatever the heck you're made of!" Spud said.

"Oh relax, Precious, I'll do this." Kila said, stepping forward. She raised her palm at our ragtag group of do-gooders. "Look, just hand over your books and I promise you won't feel anything." She called out.

"We DON'T wanna fight you!" Nick shouted. "We just want to destroy the Destiny Crystal in the room above!" He insisted, putting one hand on his chest and sweeping his other arm out.

"I see…" Kila whispered softly…then her eyes blazed with a dark fury as she growled. "So you want to destroy the crystal and turn me back into a POD, like Master Shadow SAID!" She cried out.

"**ADUSTUM!**" XR yelled out, holding up his book. A HUGE fireball spun rapidly around over Kila's head before she thrust her hand forward, aiming at the group. Quickly everyone rolled out of the way as it exploded into sparks, barely missing them again.

"We Fanons may be wrong!" Kila screamed out. "But I don't wanna get turned into a pod again! I can't STAND the idea! I endured that pain for 100 years, I don't wanna live through it again!" She insisted, sweat appearing on her face that was wracked with pain.

"You won't get turned back!" Nick yelled. "Samael's curse was dispelled!"

Kila froze up. "What?" She whispered.

"Shadow might have been smart enough to figure out a way to BREAK his spell, but he's not capable of casting a spell another experiment used! Especially not one that's 100 years old! It's not HIS spell, right?!" Nick insisted.

"But…I saw somebody almost get turned into a pod!" Kila insisted, placing one hand on her chest.

Nick nodded. "Yeah, but that was an illusion! Remember 086's special ability? He can manipulate others and make them see things that aren't real, feel things that are unnatural!" Nick insisted. "He can turn peaceful people into killing machines, making somebody believe that they're turning into a pod would be easy for a manipulative monster like him!"

"Yes, he made up the lie to tie them to the Destiny Crystal…there's a **reason** why he has all of the fanon line experiments come here…not only do their powers and partner's heart energy get restored, but 086 can keep control of them all at this location and re-affirm his power!" Dr. Rupert interjected. "Through the power of the Destiny Crystal, which amplifies strength, he can control many people over long periods of time!"

Kila shivered, holding her body. What they were saying made sense, but…

All she could think of was that incident that had occurred a few hours ago…

…

…

…

… "Kila, I know it was YOU that betrayed me." 086 had said, holding Kila's cheek in his claws and looking deep into her eyes with his soulless black abysses. "But you know, if they destroy the crystal, you shall turn into a pod…like THIS."

He stepped back and raised a claw, and Kila felt her body shrinking smaller and smaller…she could see 086 looming over her, laughing…

With a desperate cry she flung herself away from him, and landed in the light of the crystal that was pouring down into the room…and she opened her eyes again, seeing she was back to normal.

"If you leave the light…you'll be turned into a pod, Kila." Her master instructed, smiling coldly. "And if that light should disappear…if the crystal is destroyed…you will be turned into a pod." He smirked. "Now I've got some business to take care of…so YOU take care…"

With that, he'd left the room, laughing all the while…

…

…

…

…_it's an illusion, I won't be turned to stone, it's an illusion, I won't be turned to stone…_

She put her hand out of the light…

SCHRICK-SCHRIK-RIK!

It was like her bones were compressing, her skin and muscles shrinking, her arm becoming smaller and smaller. Kila gasped in horror and felt shivers rack her body. Sobbing, she pulled it back inside and clung onto her arm for dear life.

"No-no-no-no-no!" She whimpered. "This can't be happening!" She cried. "I can't…I just…"

She raised her paws up. "Please!" She cried out. "JUST LET ME DEFEAT YOU!" She begged them, tears streaming down her teal cheeks.

"Here." Nick said, tossing his book behind him. Dr. Rupert caught it in his paws and watched in awe along with the others as Nick stepped in front of Kila, arms outstretched.

"Nick?" Chops whispered.

"Kila, let us save you!" Nick shouted as Kila continued to sob. They couldn't see XR's reaction, but he was shaking slightly. "See past the lies and let the scars in your heart heal!" Nick begged, tears flowing down his own cheeks as pity filled him from head to toe.

"Nick, don't be stupid!" Dr. Rupert shouted. "You have no defense against an attack!"

"Hold on." Spud said quietly. "The dude's got heart. He knows that Kila's hurting and needs somebody to help her out. Just let him speak." He insisted. "He knows what he's talkin' about."

"G-G-Get out of my way!" Kila growled.

"Stop binding yourself to that fake curse!" Nick insisted.

"Didn't you SEE IT?!" Kila shouted. "I stuck my hand outside the light and it shrunk!"

Nick blinked, eyes widening. So THAT was why…

Kila saw Nick's eyes widen and the truth hit her like a ton of bricks. She lowered her head and arms, looking down at the ground. "You…didn't see anything happen…did you?" She asked quietly. "It was all in my head…" She felt her body quiver again. "I know that what I saw was an illusion, but…when I stick my hand out…"

She gripped her body, quivering madly. "Everything gets dark in my head, and my heart starts racing! I can't stop that feeling…and even if my book was burned, I don't know if I'd be freed from that fake curse…"

Precious and Snafu had gotten back up and surveyed the scene with a mixture of confusion, amazement and irritation. "What the heck are you doing, Kila!?" Precious shouted, waving her fist. "Blast that stupid human into the next dimension!"

THWOM!

Chopsuey was right in front of her, grabbing her arms and looking right into her eyes. "Don't you understand that what you're doing to Kila is too f—king CRUEL?!" He snarled, tears filling his eyes.

"Shut up, how dare you-" Precious began.

But she was stopped by the FURIOUS, air-splitting glare Chopsuey gave her. It shot down into her soul, and she and Snafu looked away, filled with guilt.

"…I'm leaving this circle of light." Kila announced softly.

"Wait…just like that?" Nick asked, eyes widening. He felt a smile pop up. Yes, now she would be-

"But if I DO leave suddenly, it might be too much for my mind to handle…" Kila went on quietly. "I might get forced into a shocked state and my mind would get totaled, still…" She sighed. "I hafta try, so…thank you all…for trying to help me."

With that, she fell out of the circle of light…

Suddenly she felt her body seize up…everything became so hard and warm…

She was turning back into a pod!

"_No, no, __**NO**__!" _Kila thought. "_It's not real, it's an illusion! Change back!"_

But everything was so silent and quiet…darkness filled her vision and there was a terrible chill running in her body. She felt so…small…

"_I can't…move…everything's so…muffled…"_ She couldn't move, could barely hear…

"_No…please, no…this can't be happening! NO! NOOOOO!" _She screamed within her mind as the darkness began to bury her alive.

…

…

…

…plop…

"_Wh…what? There's something…on me? It's…cool…some liquid…smells salty…"_

Wait…she could SMELL…she could FEEL…

_"Somebody's holding me…" _She realized. _"I'm __not__ a pod and somebody's holding me…who?"_

Slowly but surely the inky blackness that she'd been drowning in faded away, revealing who was now standing over her, tears plopping down onto her body…

XR, her book keeper, his golden eyes looking down at her, filled with sorrow for his suffering partner.

"XR…" Kila whispered softly.

…

…

…

… _"XR, remember me?" Kila asked, waving her hand in front of XR's optic sensors. "Come on, say something?" __He was silent. Kila sighed sadly, shaking her head…_

…

…

…

… _"Come on, XR, say something besides the spells…don't you wanna talk a little? CAN'T you talk a little?"_

…

…

…

… _"XR, come on! Let's play! You used to love Poker! C'mon and wipe the floor with me again!...please…please be my partner again the way you used to be…" She begged softly, holding onto his hand._

…

…

…

… "My voice…finally reached you?" Kila whispered as she felt tears of joy spring into her eyes.

"Yes! Kila's back to normal!" Nick cheered happily as everyone beamed at her.

"Alright…then let's get going!" Kila said, standing up and addressing everyone. "The guy who guards the Destiny Crystal's freaking CRAZY, so let's get up there and BREAK that rock!" She shouted, punching the air.

"Right! Up the stairs then!" Morpholomew said, going forward.

"What if the big bad turns out to be a huge giant?" Kila asked. "Will you really be brave? Cuz lookin at you, I'd get the feeling you'd wet your pants and cry!"

Morpholomew growled, bounding towards the steps. "I don't even WEAR pants! I'll show YOU, you rotten-"

"Wait!" Kila shouted, eyes going wide with a memory popping into her head. "_The space in front of the front steps_-"

"WAAAAAAA!!!"

Everyone cringed as Morpholmew fell into a pit that appeared.

"…is…a trap…" Kila finished, slapping her face.

Luckily, Morpholomew could stretch himself. He climbed out of the pit, gasping heavily.

"Well, these old ruins are likely to have traps. Let's try going up the steps NOW." Nick said as they walked around the huge pit and up the stairs.

"WAIT! There's a-"

ROLL-ROLL-ROLL!

"AAAAAA!!!"

Everyone quickly ran back down, screaming, as a huge stone ball chased after them. They jumped to the side JUST in time to avoid being squished as the ball got stuck in the pit.

"That's NOT the part of the Indiana Jones film I wanted to relieve!" Nick shouted angrily.

"I was trying to tell you, if you go up the stairs, a rock goes down!" Kila growled. "Pay attention, those stairs are fake! See the statues lined around?"

Nick and the others checked the statues out. All of them were of people in robes making different faces. Happy, sad, surprised, angry…

"One of them is hiding a staircase that leads up into the room with the Destiny Crystal, but I can't for the life of me remember WHICH!" Kila moaned. "Let's see…" She rubbed her chin. "There was a song 086 would sing to help him remember which statue it was…how did it go? Oh, right!" She snapped her fingers. "The road before me leads to dark, the road to the king is happy as a lark…"

"Ha-HA!" Nick said happily. "Alrighty then! Let's get to it!"

Nick and Chops approached the statue and tried to move it, exerting all the effort they could, but a few moments later Kila finished the song…

"Try not to get too close to it, or you'll become a mark!"

"Uh oh."

BA-BAM! The statue KICKED them through the air and they landed on the ground in a heap, groaning.

"You gotta destroy it from a DISTANCE." Kila said, rubbing her head in desperation. "Let me FINISH my sentences, you idiots!"

Nick and Chops stood back up, groaning. "Well fine, let's attack from a distance…" Nick held up the book and quickly cast a spell. Soon the statue was rubble, and a staircase leading upwards was revealed!

"Let's go, guys!" Kila said, leading the way up.

"WAIT!"

They stopped in mid-run and turned to face Precious, who was sweating.

"You…really wanna go up there? The guy's a PSYCHO!" She shouted. "If you wanna go back, now's the time!"

Nick smiled knowingly. "You're WORRYING about us, Precious? And here I thought you were one of the bad guys!"

"Sh-Shut up!" Precious shouted. "Go ahead, get creamed for all I care!"

"You take care, Precious!" Chopsuey said, waving cheerfully. "If you DO change your mind…you know where we are."

With that, they headed up the stairs. Snafu nervously tapped Precious on the shoulder and she whirled on him. "WHAT?!" She snarled.

"I…think…we should go after them." He said quietly.

"WHAAAAT?!?" She shouted.

"I kinda wanna be friends with them…I like them a LOT more than 086…" Snafu sheepishly admitted, his tentacles nervously tying themselves in knots.

**Author's Note:**

**The next few chapters are SO intense, I don't wanna ruin anything by giving you a preview. Just review the story and savor the anticipation of knowing you're about to see a kick-ass battle!**


	26. A Diabolical Pair of Monsters!

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX**

**ペアの悪魔モンスター！ボイドの入口！**

**A Diabolical Pair of Monsters! Void's Entrance!**

**------------------------------------------------------**

"Precious was right, you know!" Kila said as they ran up the stairs. "The experiment at the top IS dangerously strong!"

"HA! Mega Spud Man fears NOTHING!" Spud bragged. "We came all this way, we can take another experiment!"

"Yeah, he can't be THAT scary, I mean, we faced down 561 for Pete's sakes!" Jenny laughed.

"And besides, Crystallene, Trainer and THEIR partners are coming up there too. Together, we can take on ANYONE!" Nick exclaimed.

"There it is!" Chops said, pointing up the stairs.

Surrounded by beautiful runes made of strings of pearls that were embedded in the wall, it hung there, glimmering in a thousand different colors that blended together. It was quite beautiful, really…

But then once they ENTERED the room they saw something HORRIBLE…

Trainer's side had been impaled and she was falling to the floor, blood oozing from the wound as a tearful Kim tried to get her back up. Crystallene was barely able to stand up and protect the downed Yuuku behind her, and the culprit for their pain was smirking at them, looking down from above…

It was perhaps the single most DISGUSTING experiment they'd ever seen. Sunken eyes, blackened skin that looked like it had been sent into a sun, three arms with large talons on his hands and feet, and he had long ears that pointed straight back, with a small, twitching nose. It vaguely resembled a rabbit, but was unmistakably demonic. It grinned, showing off rotting teeth, and then let out a howl into the air that made everyone jump and scream.

"Hey…you were right Kila…turns out I don't need pants after all!" Morpholomew whimpered.

"UOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!" It howled.

"Jesus, Mary and **JOSEPH**!" Dr. Rupert screamed.

"Crystallene, quick, use your healing spell on…" Nick began.

"RAAAAAOOOOOOOOUUUUUHHHH!!!" The experiment towering above them howled. Everyone froze up, looking at this thing in utter fear.

"This guy's…something…else!" Spud whimpered, knees knocking together. "He's like somethin' from a freakin' HORROR movie!"

"I…feel like I know this THING!" Chops gasped. "This thing before us…why does it seem so horribly familiar?"

Then it struck. The thing raised it's claws and rushed forward to slam it into the barely-standing Crystallene…

"HA!"

Kila rushed forward through the air on her wings, holding onto XR with one hand. "Nice try, Kolobos, but when it comes to "tag"…"

THA-WHOMP!

She grabbed Crystallene and Yuuku and darted away as Kolobos's claws sank into the floor, causing a crater…and totally missing.

"I'm WAY faster!" She bragged.

"But you can't use your spells against one of the fanon line!" Nick shouted.

"Who says I gotta aim at HIM?" Kila laughed, holding up a palm and aiming it just in front of his feet.

"**IGNIS!**" XR shouted.

FA-WHOOOSH! A fire shot out, blazing around the experiment's feet, making him step back in surprise…

THWAMP!

And Kila had grabbed his long, whip-like tail. "Gotcha, uggo!" She growled.

"Correction…"

Carmen appeared next to her and winked. **"****WE**** GOTCHA!"**

THA-BUDDOW! They tugged with all their might and the dark experiment fell to the ground, his immense body crashing into the wall and bringing rubble down to strike him over and over on the head. He moaned in pain as Kila gave Carmen a high five. "You GO, girl!"

"Woah, you TRASHED him!" Crystallene said. "None of my shielding spells could hold up to him, and Trainer couldn't protect us for long…"

"Trainer's really hurt!" Kim shouted. "Crystallene, use your "Ministro-Socius" spell!"

Crystallene nodded as she and Yuuku ran to help then. Growling, the experiment stood up, clenching his claws. "Grrrrr…"

"HEY!"

He turned his head, looking down at Kila. "Your fight is with ME! Don't tell me you're…AFRAID of me?" She smirked. "How shameful! The Diabolical Maestro of Sadism himself would rather look over at a girl who fell on her butt then actually face down a tasty soul? How the mighty have fallen into Hell!"

"Hell?" The beast spoke, his voice sounding decayed and empty. "Hell is a PARODY compared to what I'm going to put you through KILAAAAA!" He howled, lunging at her with his claws. Quickly Kila jumped away, holding onto XR with one hand while Yuuku put all her heart power into the crystal javelin that was about to be shoved into the oh-so-still Trainer's chest…

"NOW!" Crystallene shouted.

THA-WHOOMP! In it went! Trainer slowly blinked her eyes, letting out tiny gasps as her chest moved up and down. She was alive! She was alive!

THA-WHAM!

A strike hit the ground just where Kila had been. XR was knocked aside, clutching the book, and a smirking Kolobos raised his claws, intending to bring them down again and slice Kila into ribbons.

"Oh no, oh no!" She thought. "I can't take a direct punch without any spells!" She cringed and closed her eyes as the claws came down…

"**IADEO-IEDO!**"

BA-BAM!

Kolobos snarled, holding onto his sore arm and growling at Chopsuey, who's fists smoked as Nick stood up, glaring at him.

"We're gonna take you down…you **_FREAAAAAK_**!" Nick shouted.

KA-BAM!

An uppercut punch by Heartwing in his "Insons-Draco" garb sent Kolobos flying back through the air as Dude nodded. "WE'RE gonna take you down!" He shouted, shaking his fist.

Kolobos glared down at them, and then grinned evilly, laughing madly.

"Uh oh. I know that kind of laugh. That's a **BAD** laugh!" Nick spoke up.

"He's getting serious, I can feel it!" Chops whispered.

"Morpholomew, Spud, Dr. Rupert, make sure the others are out of the way and safe!" Nick said. "Kila, you focus on destroying that overgrown nightlight while Heartwing and Chops use power and speed to distract this overgrown corpse!" He yelled.

"Rock and Roll!" Dude shouted, punching the air. "**Insons-Draco!**"

"**IMPERIUM!**"

Chopsuey and Heartwing took off through the air, bodies all aglow! Kobolos swung at them, but they used this to their advantage, landing right on top of his arm! They rushed up his arm and then SLAMMED into his chin, uppercutting him!

"Ha-HA! Gotcha, bitch!" Nick said. "Ooh, sorry, pardon my…"

"Heh-heh-heh…"

"French!?" Nick finished, eyes going wide.

Kolobos was grinning like a kid on Christmas, giggles racking his body as some blood dripped down from his mouth.

"Good lord, fighting must be his CRACK!" Nick gasped.

"Such a sadistic nature…" Dr. Rupert said, shivering.

THA-WHAM!

He slammed them hard with his fist and propelled towards the wall, intending to drive them completely outside the ruins! Luckily Kila was faster…whizzing through the air, she yanked them off of Kolobos's fist and to the side…though his punch **DEVASTATED** the wall that he punched, turning it into rubble and sending huge chunks flying out into the sky!

"Holy cow! Without a spell, he did all THAT?!" Dr. Rupert gasped.

"I'll have some of whatever HE'S smoking!" Spud stated.

His book keeper, a slightly long-haired, dark-haired teenager smirked and flipped open his book. "**Bokusatsu!**" He announced as he held his book, which was the colored of skin that had been burnt and mutilated.

Kolobos raised up his arms, and then a FOURTH popped out from where once had been nothingness! It and the other arm across from it slid out from the skin like a baby being pulled out of the womb, and Kolobos raised it and the other arm up, then slammed them together. Smirking, he pulled them apart, and revealed a disgusting shaft of blood and ooze were now connecting the two clawed arms…

"Dear GOD, he turned them into frickin' NUNCHAKU!" Nick screamed, eyes going wide with horror.

"This guy's off the hook!" Spud admitted. "Freakin' crazy, but still off the hook!"

THWOOSHA-WOOSHA-WOOSHA!

He sent the nunchaku spinning rapidly around his body, laughing all the while as Chopsuey dived in and out, around and about, trying to get a good punch on his head. But the moment they got too close…

BA-BAM! His arm-chaku raised up and they slammed into it, headfirst. Smirking, he then drove their bodies into the ground, and HARD, laughing as he did so…

Kila, however, noticed he was bent over. From the back she lifted her hands.

"**IGNIS!**" XR shouted as Kila shot forth fire at the crystal…

A horrid smirk appeared on Kolobos, who quickly thrust one arm-chaku behind him and blocked the fire, dissipating it.

"WHAT?!" Kila gasped.

"He blocked it? Even though it was behind him?" Yuuku gasped as she, Crystallene, Trainer and Kim hid behind a wall.

"HUUUUOOOOOOOOH!" Kolobos howled, holding up his arm-chaku triumphantly.

"This guy's…smarter than I thought he was…" Nick muttered, clutching onto his book. "He's got no openings thanks to those frickin' arms he popped outta his body!"

"This fighting style…it's not the work of a crazed berserker that this thing appears to be…" Dr. Rupert deduced. "Either he is far more intelligent than we believe him to be, or somebody has to be giving him clever orders…"

Kila spoke up suddenly, XR standing by her side. "Hey, you! The book owner of Kolobos…you're not being controlled, _are you_?"

They all took a good look at this teen who's head hung slightly down, looking at the book in his hand. He had a black t-shirt on that read "every day, death is near" and looked surprisingly calm. Then…that façade vanished as he began to laugh and laugh and laugh, head thrown back, spit flying out slightly, his eyes glinting with a sense of madness.

"Ku-ku-ku-ku…kuuuaaaah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAA!"

He closed the book and smirked. "Of course I'm not!" He said, speaking up. He had a rather slimy voice that made Nick cringe in a mixture of disgust and fear. "There's nothing better than being one of 086's disciples!"

"DISCIPLE?!" Nick shouted, disgusted.

"Furthermore, he likes my spunk…he even gave me a reward!..." He jabbed his thumb upwards. "See the Destiny Crystal above? All I have to do is cooperate with Shadow and he gives me that lovely rock. Did you know..." He smirked broadly. "If you plugged it into a computer, you could use mass hypnosis just like 086's does with HIS special skills? It's all a matter of manipulating the wavelengths of light…"

"Why would you WANT to work for Shadow? He's a sadistic monster!" Chops yelled.

The teen grinned wildly, a feral face that didn't suit his surprisingly handsome face. "I happen to be a writer…I aim to become even greater than Stephen King with my horror stories! With the crystal, I'll be able to make people I don't even know worship my dark skills! I'll write stories filled with gore, decapitations, murder, rape! I'll put in horrific details on how a person is dismembered, devoured, dissected! I'll create a symphony of words to all that is morbid and depraved, and people will cheer and call me a literary genius! And I'll be able to enjoy every single moment of it! HA-HA-HA-HA!"

One by one the humans felt pure and utter fury rise in them which began to spread to their partners.

"It gives me such joy to write stories…messy car accidents! Child molestation! Cities crushed beneath the feet of monsters! People dissolved by monstrous sprays of a man-eater's manhood! Forced unbirthing to win the women over! And perhaps a few dozen nonconsensual moments just to please the critics so they can praise the "gripping drama" that is my story!" The teen went on, eyes alight with eager anticipation on how he would rise to fame and fortune. "So come on and fight me, you pieces of S—T! And before you die, remember the name of the one who obliterated you from existence…VOID!"

It too bad that Void was too full of himself to care, because every single person in the room, save for the still unconscious Trainer and the not-fully-sentient XR was giving him a glare that would have not only killed him, but damned his immortal soul to the deepest depths of the murkiest pits of Hell.

"You…are gonna…**fucking**…die." Nick whispered.

Chopsuey leapt up into the air, screaming with utter fury in his eyes, fists glowing.

"**IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick shouted.

Chops swung his fists and the attacks slammed into Kolobos's arm…but the beast just grunted.

"You call that mosquito bite an ATTACK? Now THIS is an attack! SQUISH THAT BUG!" Void demanded.

Kolobos swung one of the arm-chaku at him, intending to impale Chops, but suddenly…

"**INSONS-DRACO!**" Dude screamed out.

BA-BAM!

An uppercut by a furious, panting Heartwing sent the arm-chaku into the air, knocking Kolobos off balance…and making Void open! Chops aimed his fists at the human and…

"**IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick yelled.

The two bursts of fist energy swirled through the air, and Void's eyes went wide as he jumped back…

But he didn't have to worry TOO much. Kolobos's hand came down, blocking the attack. Void swore angrily as Kolobos shook his now-slightly-bleeding hand, both glaring at Nick and Chopsuey.

"You annoying asshole!" Void screamed. "KOLOBOS! CRUSH HIM!"

Kolobos knocked Chopsuey through the air…but the experiment righted himself in midair and grinned.

"**IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick screamed as Chopsuey flung another double fist strike that knocked Kolobos back, as more blood oozed down his chin and out of his mouth.

"In MID-AIR?!" Void gasped.

"Yeah!" Chopsuey groaned as he fell to the ground and grimaced slightly. "There's no "safe zone" in this sort of place and we can't show an OUNCE of leeway for somebody like YOU!"

"All we can do is fight hard and give it our all! The way we fight tonight is what we leave behind!" Nick screamed.

"This guy really brings me down!" Dude said, jabbing his thumb down. "I'm gonna kick your ass too! Heartwing, time to make the guy see stars! We gotta give your green buddy an opening!"

Heartwing winked, smiling broadly. "Gatta!" He said, rushing through the air on his beautiful wings, body glowing.

"Oh PLEASE!" Void laughed as they whizzed around his partner, punching and kicking as Kolobos struck around with his arm-chaku. "You can't honestly expect to-"

"**EXTURO!**" Kila shouted, sending a fiery wheel spinning through the air towards the Destiny Crystal as she leapt up into the air on her bat-like wings.

"KOLOBOS, LOOK OUT!" Void yelled.

Kolobos turned around and raised one arm-chaku to block the attack, but Kila quickly pointed upwards, and the fiery wheel raised itself OVER that one…

"Ha-HA! How do you like-"

Kolobos raised the OTHER arm, and the attack was knocked into the wall. He smirked, then SLASHED at Kila, sending her flying down.

"THAAAAAUUUGGHHH!" She gasped, hitting the ground and staggering around. _"Damn it!"_ She thought. _"This guy's the perfect partner for somebody like Kolobos…he's made him far stronger than I've ever seen him be before! Even if we deal some damage, Kolobos just heals from the crystal, and the others are always at a disadvantage! They soon won't be able to…"_

She gasped as she saw Chops and the others continue to fight, screaming as they flung themselves at Kolobos over and over again.

"Wh…WHAT? How can they still fight?"

Chopsuey couldn't hear Kolobos's grunts of deep growls, or Void's laughter or even the THUD or "CRA-CRUNCH" sounds of his body being struck and sent to the ground over and over…he could only hear the words of his friends in his ears…

…

"_My…name is…Carmen, experiment 123!" Carmen explained. _

_"I'm 621, Chopsuey." He said nervously._

"_Nice to…nice to meet choo." Carmen managed to get out in shaky Basic, shaking his hand. _

…

_Trainer blinked, then smiled. "You know…that sounds like a noble goal. I intend to become a protecting champion…but a warrior must also allow kindness into his heart as well as allowing _

_knowledge of skills into his head. Let's BOTH strive to become good champions!"_

…

"…_hey Spud…" He spoke quietly._

"Yes?" Spud asked.

"…_I hope we meet again…please stay alright in this fight." Nick requested. _

…

"_There was a light here…light of Destiny…and when it poured over us, I feel soothed…" Ranku crooned. "It's time for me to go now. Be strong…" _

_"See you later…newbies." Baudelaire said, smiling gently at them all. "Maybe one day we'll meet again…but don't lose…against Master…"_

…

_Ahinahina stood up and put his arms around Nick and Chopsuey. "Their words gave me hope when I could feel nothing but cold all around me." He said bravely. "They said they'd be my ohana and destroyed my fear of turning back into a pod!" He laughed._

"I'll…beat you…I WON'T LOSE TO SOMEBODY LIKE YOU!" Chopsuey yelled, even as blood dripped down from the sides of his mouth and top of his head, his Mohawk being dyed slightly.

"We should get in there and DO something!" Morpholomew muttered as he stood there, transformed into a wall that was hiding the others.

"Don't worry dude…Nick's got a plan. He's looking towards the light at the end of the tunnel…he'll find a way to win!" Spud insisted.

"_What…what is this strength they have?"_ Kila wondered to herself.

"That's it…" Nick said. "You're through…you're THROUGH!" he insisted. "Let's rock, Chops!"

"You're an idiot." Void said. "You have to use STRONG attacks against Kolobos to do any damage! Oh, wait!" He began to snicker, covering his mouth. "You're already attacking with all your might! How silly of me to forget! Hee-hee-hee-hee!"

THA-WHOOM!

Chops rushed forward, though Kolobos was just absentmindedly picking his nose with a serpentine tongue.

"YO! Stop slacking around! It's time to BURY them!" Void yelled up.

"Hmph." Kolobos muttered, and he flexed his muscles before raising his arm-chaku high, slamming it down at Chops…

MISSED! And Chops was now running up his arm!

"Heartwing, Dude, XR, Kila, make a path for us!" Nick shouted.

Nodding, his partners in battle leapt into action! Kolobos swung his arm-chaku once more, intending to impale Chopsuey again, but Heartwing's uppercut put an end to THAT plan and Chopsuey swung another Iadeo-Iedo attack at Kolobos's stomach, making him stumble back some. Meanwhile, Kila launched fireballs around Kolobos's feet, making him leap back and forth, almost knocking him down. What DID knock him almost completely off balance was another Iadeo-Iedo spell that struck him square in the back!

Kila frowned. "What on Earth is going on?" She mused. "They seem to have a plan…but what could-"

Then she looked over at Nick and saw his book was glowing more brightly than she'd ever SEEN it glow! What on Earth?

"That is!" Dr. Rupert said, slamming his fist into his paw's palm. "The more he builds up heart power with those fist spells, the more power is built up into Kimaira! Yes, more…more…you can DO it, my boy!" He laughed happily, eyes glinting.

"**IADEO IDEO**!"

This time the strike hit RIGHT at the back of Kolobos's neck region. The beast visibly quivered, sunken eyes going wide…

That was it! The light was THERE!

"NOW YOU'RE OURS!" Nick yelled.

"So you noticed it? HA! You haven't seen all of his attacks!" Void laughed. "**CHISSOKUSHI!**"

THUDDA-WHAAAM!

Large HORNS jolted out of the top of Kolobos's head, curling up slightly like goat's horns. It knocked Chopsuey back and he screamed in pain…

But he was STILL behind him!

"You can still take him! NOW!" Nick yelled.

"GOT IT!" Chops yelled, re-righting himself.

"**KIMAIRA!**" Nick screamed.

It rushed up around Chopsuey like an ocean wave, glimmering brightly and roaring in fury, the chimera made of aura snarled and slammed full force into the back of the experiment's neck as lightning seemed to split the air. Kolobos let out a horrid wail as pieces of flesh went flying off his body and blood poured down like a waterfall…

With a CRASH he fell to his knees, head hung. Nick and Chops laid on the ground, unable to get up, but…looking very triumphant.

"Howdya like…THAT…" Nick panted.

Several minutes passed. And then…

"Uoh…"

Eyes shooting open wide. Sweat dripping down brows.

"UOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!!" Kolobos screamed.

"No FREAKING WAY!!!" Dude screamed.

"Why is he not in PIECES?!" Dr. Rupert gasped. "He shouldn't even be able to STAND after an attack like that!"

"One more time, Chops!" Nick yelled. "We CAN'T give up!"

"Yeah…we…aren't done!" Chops whispered.

"Oh PLEASE! Talking big when there's no way you can strike again? IDIOTS! You can have plenty of time to think about how much you screwed up…IN HELL!" Void laughed as Kolobos swung his fist right at Nick…

**Author's Note:**

**Intense chapter, huh? Kolobos is Void99's creation. And Void99 has left this site to go who-knows-where. Personally, I don't care, because I find his creation AND the sort of writing style that he followed to be on a level...er...**

**Well, I'll put it this way: Nick's reaction is my own reaction which can be summed up by this line from the movie "I Robot": You have SO got to DIE!"**

**No, not HIM personally folks, but his messed-up ideas and his equally messed-up character. I hope you enjoyed the chapter though...and remember, read and review! **


	27. A Desperate Battle for Redemption!

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN**

**償還ための決死の戦い！ゴールデンさようなら！**

**A Desperate Battle for Redemption! Golden Goodbye!**

**------------------------------------------------------------**

"**MARIN-REINE!"**

THWA-WHAM!

Kolobos suddenly found himself unable to squish Nick due to a large, bird-like, horned dragon made of gold gripping his arm and biting into it.

"You CAME!" Nick laughed happily.

"Ch-Ch-Ch-Chops! Now do you…see the…extent of my…my love?" Precious asked, trying to look brave even as her knees knocked together madly.

"Yep! We've done it…now he's noticed US!" Snafu gulped as he stood in front of his partner, shaking even more than Precious.

"I'm gonna beat this…beat…er…" Precious gulped. "Gonna…gonna…"

Kolobos gave her a look that said "YOU? Beat ME?" and she shut up.

"Yeah. Us. Beat HIM. Right." Snafu mumbled, nervously tapping his stubby hands together.

"Sh-Shut it!" Precious shouted. "Even if we CAN'T beat him! Everything we've done until now…we HAVE to make up for it! I MUST…GET…INTO…HEAVEN!" She proclaimed.

"Wow, she found religion?" Dr. Rupert asked.

"Yeah, but this guy kinda looks like he's already been burnt at the stake." Snafu stated. "How will we know when we've really killed something DEAD?"

"When your man picks you up at the clinic and takes you drinkin' at the club." Crystallene spoke up. Nick immediately did a face-plant at this.

"Yes! More help! We can win! This is like a kick-ass afterschool special!" Spud laughed.

"No…it's not over…" Yuuku mumbled. "The spell that freakish thing used on us to break our strongest shield and the spell he used to spear Trainer through…he hasn't used them again!"

Void was frowning furiously, turning purple with rage. "Great, so they all come marching down and out of the rain to ME, huh? You pests. I guess I'll have to use high-level spells to wipe you out! Now to do something I haven't done since I left my mom's basement five weeks ago…take out the trash!" He laughed.

"Oh fuddy-duddy." Nick moaned.

"**DESUEDYUKE-SHON!********"**

Kolobos slammed his extra arms together and they clasped claws…a few moments later they re-opened as the merged and arms bulged and the opening began to SMOKE…

"Good lord, it's a GUN!" Spud screamed.

It HAD turned into a gun! And the evil Kolobos was smirking evilly, aiming it at Chopsuey, who was trying to protect Nick with his body.

Crystallene rushed forward along with Kila and both raised their hands.

**"FLAMA-PARIES!"** XR cried out.

**"****MUNIMENTUM!**" Yuuku yelled.

The two attacks merged together to form a fiery wall of mosaic that rose up in front of Nick and Chopsuey, but…

BUDDA-BOW!

THAWOOOM!

The blast from the gun Kolobos had sent them flying and they were scattered around the floor.

"Oh…fudge…" Precious gulped.

"Well, we're boned!" Snafu remarked.

"You two are next!" Void laughed. "**RANSHI-SHIIN!**" He laughed.

Kolobos's right arm became covered with a sickening ooze…it was unmistakably blood, but it was burning brightly like some freaky toxic waste that somebody had spilled…and that burning, glowing arm was headed right at Precious and Snafu!

Luckily their partners grabbed them and ducked to the side, and the attack JUST missed them.

"You alright?" J.R asked Precious, smiling gently.

"You…used a spell without me telling you what spell to cast?" Precious asked.

"Well, your selfishness isn't gonna do a thing against this monster. I'm gonna try my best, and you should too, Precious!"

"…th…thanks…" Precious said quietly.

"You've finally become unselfish Precious…now I'll give it my all." J.R thought.

Meanwhile, Snafu was hiding, curled up in a fetal position, shaking madly. "It's no use, it's not use, I'm gonna diiiiiie!" He sobbed. "My partner can't cast his spells because he doesn't have his dentures!"

"You wow, the "fewal powition" isn't wowking fow woo…" Gummer spoke up. Although it was VERY hard to tell what he was saying, since he sounded like Elmer Fudd on Helium without his dentures. "Do you know WHY I wawted to wok fow an uncool pawson like woo?"

Snafu nervously cringed as he looked up at Gummer, who went on. "You came to my house one day…"

…

…

…

… "I don't really get the point of FIGHTING to be the king, but…what the heck!" Snafu finished as he clutched onto his book. "So will you fight with me?"

"…uh, no." Gummer said, sipping his coffee.

"WAAAA!" Snafu sobbed, slamming his little arms into the floor of Gummer's home, his tentacles waving back and forth madly. "WAAAAA!!!"

Gummer became intrigued by Snafu's tentacles and decided to do what any curious person would have done…he tied them together for funsies.

"Ta-da!" He said, stepping back to admire his work. "I made a poodle!"

**SFX: BOING!**

Snafu looked at himself in the mirror. Then he began to cry so hard that his tears started to pool around him.

"Hey, stop! You'll ruin the wood!" Gummer shouted.

"WAAAAUUUUUUGGGGHHH!!!" Snafu howled. "NOBODY LOVES ME, BOO-HOO-HOOO!"

("I never said THAT!"

"Oh YEH you Did!")

Snafu cried and cried…

And cried…

And CRIED!

**AND ****CRIED!**

In fact, he wouldn't shut the fuck up! When Gummer returned from his bed to the spot in front of the mirror, Snafu was still crying, and now there was a visible three inches of water filling up the room from his tears. So Gummer had made him waffles, and after scarfing them down, Snafu calmed some.

Or so Gummer had THOUGHT. But little did Gummer know that Snafu would keep him up all night, asking for "Waffles, waffles, waffles!" over and over. Finally Gummer snapped and stood up.

"YOU DON'T GET WAFFLES UNTIL BREAKFAST, AND THAT'S NOT UNTIL THE SUN POKES APPEARS OUTSIDE THE WINDOW!" Gummer yelled.

"…ohhhh!" Snafu mused.

Then Snafu began working on something odd in the other room. And a few hours later, Gummer heard a knock outside the window. He drew the drapes open…

"I TOLD you, you don't get-"

Snafu was holding up a little sun that he'd made out of papier-mâché and painted with a big smiley face.

"The sun's outside your window! Can I have waffles now?" Snafu asked happily.

…

…

…

… "And sew, I deciwed to make you go fwom uncoo to coo!" Gummer explained. Then he frowned, his forehead furrowing in anger. "THEH you deciwed to join fowces wiff that ah-hole eero eigh sex! He's noh coo! He's a fwiggin' ahbag! Gowing awong wid him's uncoo!"

"But…I'm fighting against him NOW! That…that makes me cool again, right?" Snafu asked, nervously biting his lip.

Gummer smiled and nodded.

"But wait…you don't have your dentures, so you can't help out!" Snafu said sadly, hanging his head.

"Goddem." Gummer said, taking out his dentures from his pocket. "Now yoo be weawwy coo."

Precious tottered back and forth, gasping in pain. "Dang it…no matter how many times I hit him…it doesn't matter!" She growled. "And I feel so dizzy…"

Kobolos smirked and raised his claws, rushing forward to slash her…

"**Grande-Fouillis!********"**

******THA-WHACKAAA!  
**

They all gasped in surprise as Snafu's tentacles grew out from his head, big and strong, and they SLAMMED into Kolobos's head, giving him the biggest bitch-slap he'd ever get in his life!

"WOAH!" Precious gasped.

"It just took one spell?" Dr. Rupert gasped. "How…cool!"

"That's right! I am Snafu! Super-Cool Super Spy Snafu!" Snafu proclaimed, bounding up and down and gleefully grinning. "Come on, Precious, let's change our pitch up and smack this bitch up!"

Precious looked over as Crystallene and Yuuku used Ministro-Socius on their unconscious friends. Carmen held Chopsuey's head in her lap, crying softly over him as Jenny sobbed.

"Guys…listen closely…" Precious said. "I've got a plan…my final act of selfishness."

…

…

…

… Kolobos stood back up, groaning as he dusted himself off. Annoying little…

"NOW!"

Turning his head, he saw Snafu and Precious running towards him, immersing themselves in the cloud of dust that had sprung up from his crash. Then…

**"Grande-Fouillis!"**

Snafu's clenched tentacles shot up, aimed at Kolobos's chin…but the dark experiment grabbed them, smirking. "That same trick won't work twice!" He said, grinning.

PA-POING! The tentacle at the tippity-top uncurled, revealing Precious! She smirked at him and thrust her hands forward.

"**MARIN-REINE!" **J.R announced.

The golden dragon sent Kolobos falling on his butt. Growling angrily, he stood back up.

"Don't think lightly of us, you little shit!" Void growled. "**BOKUSATSU!**" He growled, as an arm grew out once more and Kolobos stood, holding his arm-chaku high. He slammed it down and it sent Precious and Snafu flying back.

"AAA!" Precious cried as she hit the ground, gasping in pain. J.R ran to her side and helped her up. "We gotta…keep going!" She insisted as Kolobos lumbered towards them. "We must keep him moving closer to us and farther from the Destiny Crystal!" She whispered. "Even if we can't beat this jerk…we HAVE to! I can never…" She wiped tears from her eyes. "I can never forgive myself for making them cry so much…so many tears!"

She rushed forward, crying and sobbing. "I'M NOT GOING TO BE AN IDIOT ANY MORE!"

JR nodded, clutching tightly onto the book. "Precious has finally found something that's most important to her…"

…

…

…

… J.R had been an unemployed writer who never could find any work when he wasn't writing. Occasionally he'd put out little blurbs of fantasy that would knock the socks off of anybody who read them, but inspiration only struck so often. He didn't have a steady source of income, and was often found just sitting in a café…

And it was there that he'd met her.

She'd simply handed him the book. "Hey, can you read this?" She asked.

He'd taken the book in his hands, amazed at this creature's sudden appearance. "You look bored." She said. "If you come along with me, you won't ever be bored! And best of all, I'll be able to find my beloved Chops!" She swooned happily, holding her hands to her chin.

This meant everything to Precious, J.R thought. And soon he realized that Precious was like a selfish daughter he'd never had, who always wanted things done her way. She'd break into jewelry stores to get nice stuff for her, break into bakeries to stuff her face…

And now the poor girl was finally realizing the weight of her sins.

Yet even though she was being torn apart inside by her guilt, she was happy…

Because the one who had helped her realize what she needed to change about herself…

Was the person she'd been looking for all this time…621, Chopsuey.

"**PERQUISITION!"** Gummer yelled as Snafu jumped into the air. He took a deep breath, and his head SWELLED up like a balloon. A moment later, he BLEW, and a stream of bubbles flew out from his mouth. They slipped underneath Kobolos's taloned paw and he fell to the ground once again.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! He's taken a nice "trip" and we'll see him next "fall"! How'dya like that!?" He laughed.

"Not cool." Precious mumbled.

"Sorry." Snafu apologized, nervously grinning.

"Just get me close to the moonstone, okay?" Precious told him.

"GOTCHA!" Snafu said, grabbing her in his tentacles.

"**Grande-Fouillis!" **Gummer read from the book as Snafu stretched himself and Precious up, up towards the crystal!

"Uh-uh-uh! Didn't say the magic word!" Void said, shaking a finger in the air as he held his book up.** "TSUISHI!"** He laughed.

Kolobos's back bulged, and suddenly wings made of sinewy muscles ripped out. Roaring, he rushed through the air, grinning evilly.

"That fiend has a FLYING spell!?!" Dr. Rupert gasped.

Before they could do anything, Precious and Snafu were struck hard from behind by Kolobos's claws. Precious began to fall, clutching her sore arm. "Just…a bit further, just a bit…"

Then it happened. "**RANSHI-SHIIN!**" Void shouted as his partner's arm became covered in the burning ooze. His fist raced towards them...it would surely hit them and the book keepers behind them…

"GUMMER!" Snafu screamed, getting in front of Precious even as they fell.

"THAT'S a cool idea you've got!" Gummer laughed. "**QUÊTE!**" He roared out.

Snafu's's tentacles opened up at the ends, and they spat out a circular shield made of strange ink. The gummy shield stretched and stretched as Kolobos's fist pressed against it, straining it…and then it broke, and they, and the shield, went flying back into their book owners.

CRA-CRASSH!

Gummer groaned and held his head, looking up…and seeing his book was on fire. Worse still, a tiny spark had alit Precious's book too.

"SNAFU!" Precious gasped as her friend's body began to dissipate into light. Gummer crawled over, tears streaming down his eyes.

"It's…okay!" Snafu said happily. "I'm cool now…I have a story to tell everyone when I get back on how I faced down the demonic Kolobos! And more importantly…we have friends we're gonna be able to play with back in the lab!"

He smiled. "I'm not going to be an independent operative anymore, heh-heh…" He wiped his eyes. "I'm gonna wait for all of you…wait for that day when we can share our stories together…that would be so COOL…"

"You've finally become super cool." Gummer said. "I'm proud of you soldier."

Snafu smiled one last time, and then vanished into tiny specks of teal light that faded into the air. Shivering in sorrow, Precious stood up.

"………J.R, I want you to listen carefully to my final plan." She finally managed to get out through gritted teeth.

Meanwhile, Nick stirred. He rubbed his eyes and got up. "What…what's going on?"

"Snafu was…returned…" Jenny said softly. "And Precious's book's on fire…"

Void frowned as a cloud of dust arose around J.R and his partner. "You're annoying meee!"

"It's time…the final spell!" J.R shouted, even as the book in his hands began to burn more fiercely.

But Void saw the golden spikes of Patty poking through the dust cloud and smirked. "I'm ending it NOW! **RANSHI-SHIIN!**" Void shouted as Kolobos sent his burning arm towards J.R…

"HA! Idiot!" J.R smirked as the dust cleared further, revealing…

Nick gasped in horror. Precious had ripped off the tips of her spikes and had used some glue in a bottle from J.R's coat to stick them to a rock that was around her size. Blood oozing down from her head, she laughed as she jumped up, having run up the wall…and was now in front of the Destiny Crystal. "Hey, Kolobos! Missed me, missed me, now ya gotta kiss me!"

"WHAT?!" J.R's eyes went wide as Kolobos stopped and turned around, his attack halting and cancelling. What was Precious DOING?!? She was supposed to attack the crystal, not draw attention to herself…

Oh no…

She was sacrificing herself to redeem herself. In punishment for what she'd done, she planned to allow the crystal to be destroyed along with her. She had lied to J.R, saying that he should call out an attack, but now, looking at her form as she turned around, smiling sadly, J.R couldn't speak…

"I thought you might be loathe to see me do this." Precious said quietly. "So alright…here…" She thrust her hands forward.

_"This is for the best…nobody would wanna care about me after what I'VE done…"_ She thought sadly, tears brimming in her eyes.

Sobbing, J.R raised the book and announced his final spell. "**MARIN-REEEEEIIIINE!**"

The golden dragon roared and rushed forward through the air…it wept as it slammed it's body into the stone, the tears of the dragon dripping down on Precious, bathing her in baptismal gold…

"You little BRAT! Take this, you annoying cunt! **SHISATSU!**"

Kolobos's claws at the end of one arm grew to an enormous level and he swung them at Precious, intending to impale her…

_"I'm sorry J.R…I'm sorry fanon line…I'm sorry all you humans who had your hearts manipulated…I'm so sorry…"_

It came closer…closer…

_"Chops…"_

THWOOSH!

Soaring through the air atop of Heartwing, Chopsuey grabbed Precious and pulled her out of the way. "Are you alright, Precious? Sorry I woke up so late!" He said softly.

"Good!" Heartwing said, nodding at her with a big grin on her face. "GOOD!"

"What you did was VERY good." Chopsuey said, holding her gently.

"…Ch…Chops…" Precious whispered.

They came back down to the ground as everyone surrounded them. "AMAZING job, Precious!" Yuuku said.

"You go, girl!" Crystallene cheered.

"You kick almost as much ass as ME!" Kila laughed.

Then they saw it…her body was dissolving into specks of golden light…she was returning to the lab.

"Everyone…when this dumb fight is all over…" Precious began to plead, head hanging down as she clenched her little fists. "Please promise me that…when you come back to the lab…please be friends with Snafu! I did AWFUL things, but he…he couldn't help it, he's not selfish like I am…he's not horrible like I am…" She sobbed, feeling her body shudder with sorrow.

Then Chopsuey held her hand and she gasped, looking up into his eyes.

"Don't talk like that!" Her beloved 621 shouted. "You're **not** a horrible person! Precious, you will always be a dear friend! And you will always be a wonderful person!"

"…thank…you…" Experiment 400, Precious whispered, smiling happily just before her body vanished completely as her book keeper wept, covering his face.


	28. The Complete Idiot's Guide

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT**

**の完全な馬鹿者ガイド：ゾンビ殺害**

**The Complete Idiots Guide: Killing The Undead!**

**--------------------------------------------------------**

It was a happy moment for everyone. Though tears filled their eyes or dribbled down their faces, they were joyful. Precious, in her final moments of being on the planet Earth, had made an important sacrifice and had destroyed the Destiny Crystal.

"She did it…that wonderful girl." Dr. Rupert said happily, clasping his paws together.

"Precious…I'm so proud of you." J.R said.

The Destiny Crystal was breaking off into tiny little pieces that fell down around everyone like pieces of glowing rainbow rain that had taken solid form. It was rather beautiful, really…like crystalline manna from heaven.

"With this, the people who were being manipulated by 086 to use fanon line experiments are freed! And his power should be greatly lessened now." Dr. Rupert announced.

Then it happened. XR fell to the ground, optics shutting down and turning off.

"Oh no!" Kila shouted, rushing to his side.

"Is he alright?" Nick asked as he, Carmen, Jenny and Chops rushed to his side.

"Let me examine him, I know machinery." Kila said, carefully opening up his chest with a screwdriver she had in her lab coat pocket. "Hmm…" She checked around, moving some wires aside. "…He'll be just fine!" She said. "He's just in "sleep mode" right now."

"When he wakes up, he'll be back to normal, right?" Jenny asked

"Su mejor amigo robot despierte rápidamente, debido a que pyscho Kolobos sigue en pie!" Carmen stated, which translated into "he'd better wake up fast, cuz that psycho Kolobos is still up".

This was true. Kolobos looked around at the falling pieces of light. He seemed moderately interested, but he wasn't HALF as horrified as Void.

"You…you bastards…" Void whispered. He turned around, and they saw…

"He's…crying…" Nick whispered, feeling pity rise in him.

"I was…I was somebody who never tried hard enough…and then when I finally found something I could give my all to, you…" His body became racked with sobs. "You smash it and my dreams into little pieces…" He looked up at the space where the crystal had once been, continuing to speak. "I thought I'd finally…finally be able to do truly great things with that crystal…"

Nick didn't speak. He felt a mixture of sympathy and fear rising in him.

"You smashed my dream into tiny pieces…fine…I'll just…smash **everything** here to little pieces…" Void reasoned.

"Oh boy, he's _pissed_." Chopsuey spoke up.

"I'll just use THAT spell." He said. "He told me not to use it under any circumstances because the danger was too great…"

Void smiled. "Like I care about that…I have nothing else…NOTHING…I'm gonna wipe everything off the maaaaap!" He laughed sadly.

"Oh jeez, he's slipped his squiff!" Nick stated, eyes going wide.

"He's plunged into an inconsolable state…" Dr. Rupert muttered. "There's no telling what he'll do! We've got to stop him before he causes damage we can't reverse!"

"**SHINIGAMI!!!**" Void roared out.

Before anybody could do anything, Kolobos roared madly as his body began to pulse and change. Before their eyes what had once been ugly became ten times more disgusting! Now his body wasn't blackened, but looked like he'd been burnt alive by acid! His nose was destroyed, only the faint empty nostril space remained. His muscles and nerves were there for all to see, sickly beating in the light of the room, and a symbol was on his forehead: an X with a half circle in the center. There was a symbol on his front side too: three circles, one on chest, two on stomach. He now had hooks for thumbs, and on his back were pointy edges of bone that seemed to be trying to spring out from his back. His wings transformed as well, turning into a horrific mass of flesh that appeared to be the remains of victims stitched together…and he smirked, showing off rotten teeth.

"Oh sweet JESUS!" Nick screamed. This thing was DISGUSTING!!!

"Ho-ly-CRAP! Somebody here PLEASE tell me they have the power of Heart!" Spud whimpered.

"I've done it AGAIN!" Morpholomew moaned.

"He smells like rotting bodies…" Crystallene said quietly, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Est Diablo! DIABLO!" Carmen screamed, holding onto Chops for dear life as her blue eyes went wide.

"There's something about him that's far different from before…" Dr. Rupert said softly, his eyes going wide with a mixture of perverse fascination and fear. "He used a body-enhancing spell…but there's something coming from him that wasn't there before!"

"There's a sickening bloodlust in this thing…" Nick whispered.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Now THIS is more like it!" Void laughed as he grinned evilly. "I couldn't have thought up a better monster for my stories MYSELF! Now then Kolobos…why don't you go and crush those little gnats over there to pieces?" He stated, pointing at the group.

"Just when I thought this guy couldn't get any more disturbingly powerful…" Chops growled.

"…"

But Kolobos didn't move. He frowned and glared over at Void with his sunken eyes. "Grrrr…you shitty human! You've got some nerve treating me, a god, as your lapdog!"

Void blinked. "Wh-WHA?"

Nick, who'd seen thing before, said "Let's make for the nearest door".

"Why?"

"Let's just say I have a BAD feeling about this!" Nick spoke up.

Unfortunately they didn't have time to run. A moment later Kolobos snatched Void up and smirked at him before he opened up his jaws and tossed the human straight in!

"HOLY!!!" Chops yelled.

"EW!" Crystallene shouted.

"Oh no he DI'INT!" Kim growled.

GULP!

Now Void was just a squirming bulge that was going down Kolobos's gullet. Kolobos licked his dried and cracked "lips" as he patted his stomach. "Ha. You humans are disgustingly weak, but tasty." He remarked. "Just give me heart energy as you stay forever inside my stomach! Sing, you pathetic soul! Be the start of a symphony of pain that gives me strength!"

"I hope he gives you diarrhea!" Nick shouted, shaking his fist in the air. "You FREAK!"

"I'm not gonna say that was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my whole life but that was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my whole life, there I said it!" Spud got out, legs knocking together like pieces of wood.

Dr. Rupert quickly held up a small white flag and waved it in the air. Chops slapped his face, moaning in exasperation while a madly-giggling Kila tried to hum out "Taps". Carmen angrily whacked her upside the head. "Ees no JOKE!" She yelled.

Roaring, Kolobos rose up into the air and broke the ceiling apart. Everyone ran to the side, out of the way of the falling rubble as he hovered in the air. "Ah, wide open spaces. What a nice-looking sky. What a pleasure it shall be to turn it red as blood." Then he looked down at the others, frowning. "Hmm? Somehow you seem familiar…do I know you?"

"He doesn't remember us?" Nick asked.

"Uh, hello? Should be running? He **ATE! HIS! PARTNER!**" Spud screamed, waving his hands in the air.

"I THINK that the spell his partner used released his mind from whatever mental locks 086 had put on him." Dr. Rupert guessed. "Though that's…not a good thing."

"No SHIT!" He _**ATE! HIS! PARTNER!**_" Morpholomew sobbed, covering his little head.

"Now he's even worse than before? Well, we're boned!" Crystallene mumbled.

"Well, well, well. Fresh meat. I can always use new souls in my kingdom." Kolobos stated. "I am going to take my time with all of you." He said, pointing down at them with one claw. "Especially the girl. I think I'll cut your breasts off before I fondle them, use your decapitated skull for sex…and then I'll turn it into a lovely, decorative birdhouse."

"Wake up, wake up, wake UP!" Kila shouted, shaking XR madly. "This is NOT the time to be taking a friggin' NAP! He's gonna cut my chest balloons off!"

"But I LIKE my chest balloons!" Crystallene said stupidly.

"I like them too!" Spud laughed. Yuuku immediately kicked him in the leg and he hopped up and down, howling in pain, which made Kolobos smirk happily.

"Ah, lovely pain." He remarked as he flew down, claws outstretched to tear them.

"We gotta beat him back!" Crystallene shouted, leaping forward, hands outstretched.

"**MUNIMENTUM!"** Yuuku yelled as the mosaic shield manifested itself before them. Kolobos struck over and over, but the shield continued to hold, amazingly enough…

"Come on…give it all you've got, Crystallene!" Yuuku shouted.

"You GOT it!" Crystallene yelled. "We didn't come this far to lose!"

"Ha-ha-ha! But lose you shall! And then I will drag you down into my hell, into a kingdom of tortured souls!" He laughed. "You will lose this game you play against me!"

"You talk too much!" Crystallene shouted. "I liked it better when you were a near-mindless brute!"

"Well, sorry to _disappoint_ you, child." Kolobos said softly.

"Everyone else gave their all to stop you! We'll do the same!" Crystallene yelled.

Meanwhile, Trainer slowly stirred. "She's alright!" Kim gasped, putting her head on her chest. "Her heart's beating more strongly!"

"Gummer, J.R, Jenny, Carmen, take Kim and Trainer somewhere they can heal." Dr. Rupert ordered. "Time is of the essence! If we don't move it, we're Kolobos's next meal!"

"It's our turn to shine, Morpholomew!" Spud said. "This sicko's going DOWN. Down to Chinatown!"

Meanwhile, Kolobos had just shattered another mosaic shield that Crystallene had erected and was standing over them, smiling in a twisted fashion. "Scream for me…plead for mercy…I'll get every ounce of fear out of you and drink it like a fine wine…"

"You're not getting anything but FURY from me!" Nick yelled.

"Haven't you realized that you've lost the game?" Kolobos asked, raising a non-existent eyebrow. "You cannot-"

**"GUARDIA DEL CORPO!"** Morpholomew pronounced from the book. A cloud of red dust surrounded Morpholomew, and then…

WOOM!

There he was, towering over the form of Kolobos, "hands" on "hips". "Hey! I hope you don't mind that I'm "looking down" on you!" Morpholomew wisecracked.

Kolobos turned around, eyes going wide. "WHAT?! How?!"

"He's badass and blinged-out!" Spud laughed.

"You are annoying, blob…but I'll be able to feed off of YOUR fear quite well, I can see it in your heart, how easily frightened you are!" He laughed. He swung at Morpholomew, but his claws passed through him!

"WHAT?!" Nick shouted. "How the heck?"

"Ha-ha! I'm the Amazing Morpholomew! Nothing can touch me!" Morpholomew said as an increasingly-angered Kolobos swung over and over. "By the way guys, Trainer and Kim are in a safe place now, so don't worry about them!"

"Oh I'd be more worried about YOURSELF if I were you right now, child!" Kolobos howled.

"As soon as XR wakes, we'll fight too!" Kila shouted.

"EVIL! EVIL!" Heartwing shouted, pointing at Kolobos.

"We're gonna beat this jerk!" Dude proclaimed.

"We're gonna give it OUR all too!" Yuuku said.

"We need to think of a way to beat this guy by any means necessary." Nick said.

"I can…I can feel something…" Chops said. He could hear his heart beating in his ears, thudding with power. "Something's rising in me…and I know why!" He smiled. "Everyone's desire to fight is rousing MY fighting spirit! My soul is crying out to beat this fiend!"

Nick saw his book was aglow and he gasped in surprised. "Everyone's putting everything they've got into this fight…" Nick realized. "The book's responding to the strength everyone else is using…" He smiled as he opened the book and read the new spell. "A spell awoken by others…this is gonna be GOOD!"

"What's it say?" Chopsuey asked.

"Percutio." Nick read out loud. "I wonder what it does…"

Kolobos frowned, then glanced down to see Morpholomew was looking at him…then he looked up at the LARGE Morpholomew that was coming from the smaller one's shadow.

"I see…it's an illusion spell." He deduced.

_"Oh no."_ Morpholomew gasped.

"RUUUUUN!" Spud yelled, grabbing him and running for his life.

"We're gonna have to find out what it does NOW!" Chops yelled as Crystallene and Yuuku shielded Spud and Morph with another spell.

"This shield is really quite annoying. You're immensely irritating me. I think I'm going to cut your body into just as many pieces as the times you've called this shield up." Kolobos announced as he slammed his fists over and over at the shield.

"Fire at the misogynist!" Nick said, pointing upward. "It's time to treat him to OUR burning bed, Chops!" He shouted. **"The Seventh Spell…PERCUTIO!"** Nick screamed to the heavens.

Chopsuey's fists glowed brightly and then his body surged as his two extra arms popped out. Slamming them together, his body glowed, and a metallic object appeared…a circular ball. Chopsuey SLAMMED into it with his arms, and it sailed through the air with great speed…

THA-WHAM!

It struck Kolobos right on the arm! They all watched as Kolobos turned and looked at it…

The metallic ball was…embedded in the skin. It beeped slightly, then just…sank inside the body.

"EW." Spud remarked.

"That's…it?" Nick asked, sweatdropping. "…I kinda expected…I dunno…fireworks or something?"

"Darn it! Darn IT!" Chops growled. "Nick, I don't care WHAT you cast, I just wanna smack the SHIT out of this guy!"

"Fine by me! **IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick yelled.

THA-WOOSH! The fist blast sailed through the air…

"That's not going to be effective now!" Kolobos said, smirking.

His smirk faded a moment later. The fist blast struck the arm that the "Percutio" had sunk into…

THA-BAAAAM! SPLORCH!

Much to everyone's amazement, his arm EXPLODED into pulpy, black goo! Now only bone was left! Kolobos's eyes went wide with horror at the sight.

"Wh…what happened?" Chops asked.

"Ah ha…so that's it." Dr. Rupert mused, rubbing his chin. "The true strength is not to inflict damage on the first go…it acts as an explosive bomb that's activated by your fist strikes. THEY are the trigger…"

"And if I used multiple "bombs" on the enemy and then attacked with Kimaira…it could work!" Nick realized. "Alright Chops, let's do this!"

Chops took up another fighting position. "Alright! He's going down!"

"**PERCUTIO!**" Nick yelled.

Chopsuey flung all his arms forward and the metal orb sailed out…

THWOOSH!

Kolobos ducked his head. He then slowly turned his head towards them, smirking evilly. "The same trick shall not work on me TWICE." He remarked casually.

"He figured out what it does too?" Nick realized. "He's not just smart, he's REALLY smart!"

"Time for you to reap what you sow!" Yuuku shouted. "**REPENDO!**" She announced, holding her book up as Crystallene's hands glowed.

"Quick, guys!" Crystallene yelled. "This attack will only hold him in place for so long!"

"Right!" Nick yelled. "**PERCUTIO!**" Nick yelled.

The attack whizzed forth, at the shield…but Kolobos broke through the shield, then ducked again, and the "Percutio" orb whizzed into the sky, vanishing.

"Darn it!" Nick yelled. "Will this bitch not DIE?!" Nick screamed.

"Hold on…now it's OUR turn, right Heartwing?" Dude asked, as Heartwing nodded. "It'll be GROOVY!"

"…ugh…" Nick moaned, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, that works…I'll get on Heartwing's back and get close!" Chops said.

"No, that WON'T work, you two!" Dr. Rupert insisted. "A couple good punches can take down Crystallene's strongest shields. If Heartwing was struck, it'll be all over for him!" He said sadly.

"Then…we can't…win?" Nick said quietly. "But…Chopsuey and I came this far! We can't lose NOW!"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Kolobos laughed, throwing back his head. "Your attempts to resist are so futilely funny, children." Kolobos told them.

"Your voice sounds like squashing bugs…" Nick mumbled angrily. "You homicidal FUCK…"

"I chose this path. It's what I'm excellent at! And what of YOU, Chopsuey?" Kolobos asked, amused.

621 said nothing. He just glared at Kolobos.

"Ah, a man of few words? Heh-heh-heh…soon the pain will set you free from your mortal shell, and you'll belong to me forever." Kolobos proclaimed.

"Oh really? From what I've gathered, we simply have to hold you still in order to clean your clock!"

Everyone turned and saw a very, VERY welcome sight. There, fully activated, eyes open, big smile on his golden face, was XR.

"Leave it to US!" XR said. "Shall we, Kila?"

Kila nodded and put her hands on her hips, grinning broadly. "Just like old times, huh XR?"

"I was just thinkin' the same thing. **COMBURO PASSIM!**" XR shouted as he held the book up.

Kila snapped her fingers. TCK!

FWOOM, FWOOM, FWOOM, FWOOM!

Tiny, bright little balls of flame appeared in midair, churning constantly like little furnaces as they hovered in the air around Kolobos.

"And now, for your viewing pleasure, "how to kill an undead freak in five minutes or less"!" XR joked.

"Let's show these dummies how it's done!" Kila laughed.

"You're awake, XR! Seriously off the hook!" Spud announced.

"I could hear your voices in my hard drive but couldn't respond." XR admitted. "But now I'm going to prove my worth. This spell's complicated and would only work if one partner was completely synchronized with their other." He went on.

"You're about to learn the hard way that true power comes from cooperation with your partner!" Kila said.

"The strength that comes from UNITY…" Nick agreed, clenching his fist. "THAT is true strength!"

"I'm gonna rock…your…WORLD." Kila bragged.

"I would like to see you try, Kila. You are nothing more than an inferior puppet to an even more inferior master…you fail to realize that you are going against a GOD, and neither of you stand a chance!" Kolobos said, sneering. "I think I shall kill you nice and slow!"

"Go piss up a flagpole!" Kila yelled.

"Kick his ass, Kila!" Nick cheered.

"Fireballs hovering in the air? What can THEY do?" Morpholomew wondered.

"Heh…now you're going to see our ultimate power. You won't be able to move your body how you please, Kolobos!" XR stated.

Nick frowned as he and Chops stepped back slightly. Kolobos's speed and strength were extraordinary, and he fought like a man…or THING…possessed. Could Kila really defeat him with this odd-looking spell?

"What is the meaning of this annoyance?" Kolobos demanded to know. "They're just floating candles, what do you expect them to do against ME?"

"You're trying to hide something…I think I know what YOU fear!" Nick proclaimed, eyes going wide with realization. "Even a "Legendary Beast" like you has limits…"

Kobolos's eye twitched.

"The difference between a monster and a god is that a monster can be KILLED." XR laughed. "So let's show everyone what you really are, you overgrown corpse!"

"Your little candles are an eyesore!" Kolobos roared. He swung his claw at a group…

Big mistake.

"Quattuor! Septem! Quindecem! Viginti! Duo!" Kila rattled off.

"AGE!" XR shouted, pronouncing it "ah-gay".

The fireballs whizzed out of the way of his strike, much to Kolobos's surprise. They whizzed thorugh the air, circling around him like they were moons and he was a planet.

"She can control that many at once? Woaaaah!" Spud said.

"Heavy, man." Dude remarked.

"Tres! Unus! Decem! Octo! Novem!" Kila read out. They spun around in the air, swirling…

Then one suddenly stuck to Kolobos's stomach. He looked down, eyes going wide. Before he could do anything…

"FIRE!" XR yelled.

BA-BOOOOM!

Kolobos's stomach was now alit with flames! The ball had exploded in a fiery blast, but that wasn't the only one that had detonated…now his right leg, left shoulder and his rear were on fire too! Howling in pain, he fell down onto the ground, set off-balance.

"Amazing!" Dr. Rupert gasped. "Simply incredible!"

"That's not all it does! Unus, Duo, Tres, Quuator, Septem, Sex, Septem, Octo, Novem, Decem!" Kila announced.

Ten fireballs suddenly took up positions around where Kolobos was falling, and XR raised a purple hand into the air. "CONNECT!" He announced.

FA-WHOOSH!

Fiery bonds shot out, connecting the balls together, trapping the evil experiment in place!

"What the?! You little pest!" He shouted. "What do you think you're trying?!"

"HARVEST!" XR yelled, pointing forward.

The fire orbs whizzed forward, dragging Kolobos on the ground, despite his protests.

"Woah! Even though he's pimped out, they brought him down to the ground!" Spud remarked.

"If you're gonna attack, now's the time!" XR proclaimed.

"Gotcha!" Nick yelled, opening his book. "**PERCUTIO!**" He yelled as Chopsuey flung another metal orb. It whizzed through the air, then sank directly into Kolobos's skull.

"YAAARRRGH!" The beast howled as he scrambled desperately in the net. "You shitty little pest! You think this pain can beat me? This is NOTHING!"

""Oh, stop posturing, Kolobos." Kila said, smirking proudly. "The power XR and I have can chop your body to shreds. Even an idiot like YOU should be able to piece that together!"

"You…little…BRAAAAAT!" Kolobos howled as the fire orbs disconnected and let him go. He stood up in the air, muscles bulging with fury.

"I'll steadily increase the speed and power!" XR announced. "Let's keep this guy off balance!"

"Roll call!" Kila snickered. "Tredecim, quattuordecim, quindecim, sedecim!"

"AGE!" XR announced.

Kolobos swung his fists around over and over, but just couldn't connect! He growled angrily, his frustration getting bigger and bigger.

"Now…CONNECT FOUR!" XR laughed as four of the fireballs connected, entrapping Kobolos again and then…

"FIRE!"

BA-BOOOM! They all exploded, making Kobolos's body shudder in pain.

"Incredible! That monster really CAN'T move freely! And she can move all those fire orbs like that…simple, effective, powerful!" Dr. Rupert gasped.

"Their hearts are speaking to one another." Dude said. "That book's helping them dial direct! And with every move they make, every step they take, their power gets bigger and bigger! It's one hell of a combination!"

"**PERCUTIO!**" Nick announced, as Chopsuey flung ANOTHER metal orb. This time it sank RIGHT into the evil experiment's CHEST!

"Those guys are gonna give you the heartburn of your friggin' LIFE!" XR told Kolobos, smiling broadly.

"I don't HAVE a heart!" Kolobos growled evilly. "Damn you…I'm one of the Legendary Beasts! I am a GOD among experiments!" He snarled. "How…how can I possibly be losing to such a little girl!? A weakling who has to rely on a human for power?!"

"You're the one who's weak." Kila snapped.

"You STEAL power and prey on the weakness of others. Facing somebody who doesn't have fear for something like you isn't a possibility in your world…and _that's_ what makes you such a moron!" XR announced in a condescending tone.

"Grr…" Kobolos frowned, then grit his fangs, grinding them together. "I'm…going…to…"

Then he smirked. "Heh…heh-heh-heh…ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaa!" He laughed madly, then calmly traced a hook/claw around his stomach. "Stupid little puppet…let the pain set you free! Let it feed me and grant me strength!" He proclaimed.

"What the!?!" Dr. Rupert gasped, eyes going wide.

Right in front of everyone's eyes, a venomous aura arose around Kobolos, and then, much to their horror…the arm grew back! It was no longer bone, but flesh and blood…well, MOSTLY flesh and blood.

"Heh…" Kobolos smirked. "I'm far stronger now than I was before…" He told them as the venomous aura creeped up into the sky.

"No freakin' way…" Nick muttered. "No…FREAKING…WAY!?!"

"Ah…what are you so depressed about?" Kobolos asked, looking amused. "I'm going to finally end the game and allow the pain of death to set you free from life's burdens forever. You should thank me, I'm doing you a favor! You'll save millions on food, gas, hospital bills…" He began to chuckle in a dark, creepy fashion.

"You're forgetting that I'VE still got the upper hand!" Kila said, smirking.

"Oh really?" Kobolos asked, tilting his head to the side slightly. "Because the way it appears to be is this: as long as I don't get struck with either you or Chopsuey's bag of tricks, you don't have a chance against me." He laughed. "I'm far superior to you, seeing as I LIVE in death. In fact, I practically AM death!"

**BGM: Dramatic Music from Konjiki No Gash Bell**

"YOU…YOU…" Nick growled angrily. "You're looking down on us…you ate your partner, almost killed Trainer, sent Precious and Snafu back, and you have the GALL to call yourself superior?!?"

"I'm getting SICK of this guy's boasting!" Chops growled. "If we let somebody like this become the champion of the experiments, what sort of Hell would we invite onto the world?!"

"Everyone is counting on us!" Crystallene said, clenching her fists.

"We can't lose to somebody so horrible!" Kila yelled.

"Ha-ha-ha! Now you'll see how worthless your power is compared to me. I am Death, the Destroyer of Worlds!" Kobolos roared out to the sky.

Elsewhere…

"Damn it! We've lost our partners and we can't do anything…" J.R swore as Carmen bandaged Gummer up. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Hey!" Kim growled, turning to glare at him.

"…I'm…I'm sorry, I…I forgot about your partner. I just can't stand sitting here, knowing the others are in serious danger…" J.R insisted.

"Don't worry…if there's one thing I've learned from my good times with Snafu, it's that experiments are tougher than you'd think. He's gonna wake up any minute now." Gummer said as Jenny kissed his bandaged hand and Carmen stepped back to admire her work.

"Done!" She announced. "We should go upstairs, see what's going on, don't choo think?" She asked.

"Come on, Trainer!" Kim said, shaking her dear, dear friend. "Everyone needs help! Ya gotta wake UP!"

…

…

…

…Carmen and Jenny had run back upstairs, only to find that our heroes were getting their ASSES handed to them.

"Damn it! Will this bitch not DIE!?!" Nick screamed as a sneering Kobolos whizzed through the air away from their attacks. Kila's fireballs couldn't get a lock on them, and Crystallene's ruby crescent blast didn't do a darn thing. Worse still, Nick and Chops were unable to get off a single attack, because every time they tried to aim, Kobolos swung around and slammed his claws right at them, and they were forced to roll to the side.

"At this rate, they'll NEVER be able to pull off another "Percutio", let along "Kimaira"! Dr. Rupert growled, clenching his paw.

"We've gotta help them!" Jenny shouted as Carmen ran forward. Kobolos regarded them with mild amusement as Jenny held her book open. "**ANDALUSIA!**" She shouted.

Carmen's extra arms popped out and she spun her maracas as she sent the musical blast of energy at Kobolos…

He quickly ducked, and then slammed his claws at them, and the twosome went flying through the air, hitting the ground with double "tha-thunks".

"JENNY!" Nick screamed.

"CARMEN, NO!" Chops howled.

"Heh-heh-heh-heh…with this power and speed I now have, you don't have a prayer." Kobolos stated. "Look at how beautifully I'm destroying you!"

He turned to look at the panting Kila, as XR stood behind her.

"I think I'll start with you, my child." Kobolos laughed, clenching his claws open and shut. "Time to scream for me!"

He jumped at her, claws raised up. She quickly held her hands up, glaring. "Unus, decem, Octo, Novem, Septendem!"

Five fireballs whizzed in front, but…BOOM! Kobolos's claws went through them with ease, his smile now broad, eyes alit with sick pleasure at the fear that now lit up Kila's face.

"KILA!" Nick and Chops screamed.

And then…salvation.

"**JEET KUNEDO!**"

THA-WHOOOM!

A fighting warrior, headband flapping in the wind along with his glowing gi that matched his translucent body stood there, grappling with Kobolos. This aura warrior had been summoned from none other than…

"TRAINER! KIM!" Nick and Chops shouted happily. There the experiment stood with his partner by her side, grinning happily.

"Leave it to us!" Trainer shouted.

"Power UP!" Kim yelled, punching the sky.

"**Fighting love can never die**!" The two of them yelled.

"Why you little!" Kobolos howled. But his howl was in vain, the aura warrior forced him to the ground…and a moment later…

"**PERCUTIO!**"

FWOOOMP!

A metal orb entered his stomach! Now Kobolos convulsed with a mixture of fury and pain, his eyes slit, his claws clenching, his muscles bulging as he squirmed around on the ground. Nick and Spud looked at each other, then grinned…

Kobolos finally stopped squirming and lay there, panting heavily.

"No…not possible…I can't be defeated!" He snarled. "I refuse to lose to pathetic little mortals like you! You're only children! I am a GOD!"

"Yeah, yeah, we've all heard THAT before." Chops said, waving his hand dismissively.

"You don't GET it, do you? Your power is always going to be weaker than ours because we work together!" Nick shouted.

"If one person isn't enough, then we call on TWO!" Chopsuey said, nodding he gestured at Nick.

"If TWO don't work, then FOUR!" Spud said, stepping forward.

"If FOUR don't work, then EIGHT!" Jenny, Carmen, Kila and XR shouted.

"We are never, EVER alone, cuz we're protected by the trust and friendship we've gained from others!" Kim shouted. "And from that, we gain power that's far greater than the kind YOU use!"

"It turns the impossible into the POSSIBLE!" Nick said, punching the sky.

"I won't lose to you!" Kolobos grinned evilly. "I will go out and feed upon the fear of all beings in this world…it will become my kingdom, a kingdom of people screaming out in concert, an orchestra of pain that will kept me sustained forever! Nobody can stop me!" He stood up. "Especially if I simply RUN."

With that, he jumped up into the air. Kila frowned angrily. "Crap in a hat! UP?!"

"HA! Now I can't receive the finishing blow you had planned! Too bad, so sad!" He laughed.

"So you're running away? Coward!" Kila shouted.

"I call it "intelligence"." Kobolos laughed, pointing downward. "Now your little friend can't hit me with his…"

Then he looked down. As in REALLY looked down. As in got his head out of his ass and actually took a good glance at the "bugs" below him. And as he did, he realized that the person he was pointing at, though it had a green body…

Had small, black eyes…a big smile…and a red tint to his hair. In other words, Morpholomew had morphed into Chopsuey.

**SFX: Clock breaking**

Sweat appeared on Kobolos's brow as he slowly, jerkingly, turned around to see Chopsuey holding his hands before him, riding atop of Heartwing, who had a HUGE grin on his face.

"Oh _fuck me_." Kobolos muttered.

"**KIMAIRAAAA!!!**" Nick screamed.

Chops's body surged with power and the aura beast rose up, three times bigger than what it normally was! It wrapped it's snakey tail around Kobolos and yanked him forth, then sank claws and fangs into his body as easily as a cat tears apart a mouse. The "god's" screams echoed through the air as his body was surrounded with the green aura of Chopsuey's power, quivering madly in pain. And then…

BA-TWHOOOOM!

He hit the ground with a HUGE explosion…and he couldn't get back up. He just lay there, his body smoking, reduced to merely **bones** and some pulpy bits of meat, with only a black, pulsing organ keeping him ALIVE. And there was Void, covered in stomach juices, clothes all but dissolved away, the book lying next to him.

"Not…possible…you couldn't have beaten me! This…this cannot be real!" Kobolos whispered, his voice barely audible. It was a demonic miracle he was still alive at all.

"We COULD beat you, we SHOULD beat you, we DID beat you." Nick said simply.

XR opened up a chest compartment from the front of his metallic body and held out a lighter, graham crackers and chocolate.

"Who wants s'mores?" He asked eagerly.

"You're going to burn my book?" Kobolos asked. "Fine, go ahead. I will **NEVER** be a memory…" He proclaimed.

"Oh no. We're not destroying your book." Kila said. "We're destroying YOU since you haven't endured a slowly-fatal wound."

"Something as evil, something as FOUL as you cannot exist in this realm anymore!" Dr. Rupert said, holding up a lighter of his own.

Chopsuey lay in Nick's lap, unable to move. Nick panted heavily. "Sorry we can't…join in…"

"Choo leave this to US, okay, babe?" Carmen laughed, twirling her maracas in all four of her hands.

Carmen headed towards the head and aimed. Trainer aimed at the stomach/chest area. Crystallene readied herself to aim at the feet.

"No…You CAN'T! YOU **CAN'T**!" Kobolos screamed, the eye sockets in his head cracking in horror.

"Hope the popsicles you suck in Hell cool your cracked lips!" Jenny stated, smirking.

"Good bye and good riddance, you FREAKAZOID!" Kim growled.

"You see, the thing people like you tend to forget about Life is that people like you…well…they don't get to have happy endings." Yuuku said.

"You…will…never know a release from pain!" Kobolos swore. "**You will suffer throughout your lives!**"

"Shut up!" Nick shouted. "Suffering is only a small part of life, and by overcoming it, by fighting THROUGH it, you get stronger! People like you who embrace and enjoy pain fail to learn this. You've flunked Life 101, Kobolos!"

"So we mean it most _sincerely_ when we say…**GO TO **_**HELL**_**.**" Dr. Rupert said, spitting on Kobolos before he stepped back.

"**ANDALUISA!**"

"**BUBISHI!**"

"**PRAESIDIUM!********" **

Kobolos left existence with three bangs…and then a sad, pathetic whimper. His body dissolved into tiny little pieces, and Dr. Rupert and XR gathered them up, tossing them into a pile and surrounding them with stones. A few moments later they lit the pieces up and began to roast s'mores over them for everyone to enjoy…

Meanwhile, J.R smiled as Gummer, sitting atop the unconscious Void, shook the teen. "WAKE UP!"

"…ugh…" Void moaned, opening his eyes.

He soon regretted it. Gummer began to head-butt Void's head over and over. "HOW-**BONK**-DARE-**BONK**-YOU-**BONK**-HURT-**BONK**-MY-**BONK**-OCTOPUS-**BONK!!!**"

"You know, I thought old people were only a threat on the ROAD." Kim wisecracked.

"I'm putting this up on the Galactic Web." XR said, videotaping the whole scene as Kila snacked on a s'more. "This'll get at LEAST a 1000 hits!"

Dr. Rupert, who had a mouth full of s'mores, smiled happily at the sight.

"Ohhhh…" He groaned, opening his eyes even wider. "What the…"

Gummer got off as Void rubbed his head. "Where's…where's Kobolos?"

"He came down with a bad case of death." Kila said, finishing up her s'more.

"As the only doctor in this place, it's plain as the nose upon your face! Your partner is not "merely" dead, he's _**really most sincerely dead**_!" Dr. Rupert sang out, waving a paw digit in the air.

"D-D-D-DEAD?!?" Void shouted, all a-quiver. And as it were, his body began shaking so heavily that his already barely-standing-clothes finally turned into tiny specks of yarn, falling down. Quickly Dr. Rupert covered Jenny's eyes while Nick's eyes bugged out before he looked away, going "EWWWW" along with Kim.

"HEY!" Jenny shouted. "What's going on! I wanna see!"

"Not until you turn 17." Dr. Rupert stated.

"See, this is the part…where you run away." Chopsuey said, standing up and flexing his claws. "Unless, of course, you want me to EAT you. I'll make a soup from your freshly peeled skin! I'll shave your liver, squeeze the jelly from your EYES…which actually would taste quite good on toast…"

FIVE…MINUTES…LATER…

"Hey Crystallene, turns out HE didn't need pants either!" Morpholomew snickered, trying in vain to hold his laughter back as he held his stubby arm over his mouth.

"At last, it's over!" Spud laughed as everyone cheered happily. Void and Kobolos were both long gone.

"It's ooooo-veeerrrrr! It's ooooo-veeeerrrrr!" Nick sang.

"No, it's not." Dr. Rupert said, shaking his head. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

Nick stopped celebrating and frowned. Then his eyes went wide. "Oh…damn it! I forgot…that gasbag Shadow…experiment 086 is still around!"

"Yeah, but Haley and…and HE went after him!" Crystallene murmured.

"Why are you so afraid to call him by his name?" Nick asked.

"Dude, he's SUPER scary!" Morpholomew said. "As scary as that Kobolos guy! If you've ever been in the same room with him, you'd know what I'm talking about!"

"Yeah, well I think that Haley's going to wipe the floor with him." Chops said, folding his arms. "In case you forgot, from what we know, 086 took the happiness of her brother away and turned him into some kind of monster. She and Nightwing will go all out."

"Yeah, well Shadow started this fight. I wanna finish it by ramming his head through the wall. REPEATEDLY." Kila snarled.

"You can do that after s'mores." XR said.

"…fine, why not? I'll have another!"

"You remind me of Ovni!" Nick laughed. "But let's hurry up with the s'mores…if nothing else…" He smiled in a defiant fashion. "I want to see Haley's smile when she comes back from fighting 086."

…

…

…

…they stood in a dark plain of stone…an abandoned quarry. Large, natural little mountains of stone rose up here and there…

Jake Long crossed his arms as his sister stood before him, with Nightwing by her side. 086, Shadow, hovered in the air above them.

"Yo, sis." Jake said, smiling softly. He was wearing a dark leather jacket, gloves that were tipless, dark pants and smart-looking sneakers. He had a golden chain with a dragon amulet at the end, and he'd brushed his hair up more. He looked handsome, but in a dark way.

"Hmm. Nice outfit, bro. You're looking good."

"So you like the clothes he picked out for himself, do you?" Shadow mused, rubbing his chin.

Haley frowned. "What?! Don't screw around with me…" She growled.

"It's true, I picked these out myself." Jake said, waving a finger in midair. "Money, right?" He asked, stretching his jacket slightly.

"SH…SHUT IT…" Haley growled.

"That's enough fooling around." Nightwing hissed, his tail striking the ground. 'Let's end this now."

"Always to the point, aren't you?" The evil experiment asked. "You could stand to loosen up. You'll live longer…well…" Shadow sniggered. "That point's going to be moot soon enough!"

"You have no idea who you're messing around with." Nightwing growled, pointing up at Shadow.

"_Oh, but I __**do**__…"_ The manipulative being thought to himself, holding his hands behind his back. _"I'm dealing with a pathetic little girl who has a weak heart…and I'm going to prove that…right…now…"_

**This has been an EPIC set of chapters and an EPIC end to an equally EPIC arc...so leave reviews! GO! **


	29. Dramatic Showdown! Bro VS Sis!

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE**

**劇的なショーダウン！姉に対する弟！**

**A Dramatic Showdown! Brother Against Sister!**

**-----------------------------------------------------**

The sun was clouding over. The tension in the air was so thick it was almost CHOKING them. For some reason, Haley was feeling very…very…ANGRY.

The book glowed as she raised it. "**ACERBUS!**"

Growling, Nightwing raised one hand up at 086, clenching his claws. He shot forth a dark blast of energy at 086, but the evil monster simply frowned and raised his hand up as well, holding a single claw forward as Jake read off a spell.

"**AKUHEI!**" Jake read out from the book. 086's claw sparked with a sickening blood-red color, and a blast of energy shot out from his claw and the two attacks struck head on. Smoke rose into the air and Haley coughed slightly as Shadow smirked.

"Heh-heh-heh. How amusingly interesting. It seems your attack's got a little less spark in it than normal…don't tell me your really bothered at the idea of having to fight your dear brother, you annoying bitch?" He asked Haley.

"Grr…" Haley growled. "I'm gonna claw your eyes out for what you've done to him!" She yelled.

"Haley, chillate with the Shadow hate." Jake said, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. "My man 086 didn't do anything to me that I didn't want. I finally have a chance to be Jake Long for REAL-REAL, not just for play-play. I'm just expressing myself in a way I couldn't before, Haley. Why can'tcha be happy for me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't…don't you…talk like that!" Haley shouted. "SHUT UP!" She yelled.

…

…

…

… _"Can you imagine it, Haley? Youngest Dragon Council Members of all history. We can really make a difference, yo!"_

_"I can't wait!"_

…

…

…

… _"Oh, what are Mom and Dad gonna think about THIS?"_

_"Don't worry, Haley…I got your back…"_

_"Wh-what?"_

_"I'll take the blame, okay?"_

…

…

…

… _"You do know that you're next in line if I'm deemed unfit to perform my Am-Drag duties…right?"_

_"M-M-ME? American Dragon: HALEY Long? I'd be cool, I'd be hot like the frozen sun!"_

…

…

…

… _"He ditched his American Dragon duties on PURPOSE?"_

_"I can't believe he DITCHED his dragon duties! Of all the immature, SELF-SERVING-"_

_"HEY! When was the last time YOU two were the American Dragon?! Well as the little troll-girl currently filling the position, let me tell you it's stinkin' HARD!"_

_"…uh…"_

_"Er…"_

_"I can't imagine doing it two more days, let alone two more YEARS! And to think about everything JAKE'S gone through…he's had to save magical creatures on a daily basis, lie to his dad about who he is, say goodbye to the girl he loved, and all to protect a mystical world that NOBODY knows about! He may be the American Dragon, but he's ALSO a 14-year-old kid who just wanted a couple days off! If that makes him immature, fine! But "self-serving"? With all due respect to both of you…STEP OFF!"_

…

…

…

… "Stop trying to lie, Jake! I know the real you better than this freaky koala ever could!" Haley shouted.

Jake sighed and rolled his eyes. "Haley, Haley, Haley…whatever makes you think you always knew the real me? All family keeps secrets. Besides…whatever's wrong with punishing those that are guilty?"

"You can only see the bad things in others and not the good! THAT'S why 086 is so evil! He's messed you up!" Haley shouted.

"Don't you GET IT?!" Jake snarled at her as he transformed before her eyes into a dragon with brilliant red scales, green hair and sharp, purple fangs. "THIS IS THE REAL ME!" He growled. "Get a CLUE, Haley!"

Jake had never…never spoken so harshly to her. Haley found herself gasping in horror.

"Don't listen to this liar!" Nightwing shouted at Haley, rushing forth to claw at Jake. But unfortunately that was when Jake flipped HIS book open…

"**AKUJI!**" He roared as Shadow raised two claws up and twirled them slightly. A stream of beams of black light shot out from them, blasting the ground like a machine gun. Nightwing jumped back, growling angrily as Haley tried to reorganize herself.

"Stop trying to trick me, you jerk!" Haley yelled at 086. "You're just trying to throw me off balance by making my brother say hurtful things!"

"Smart girl!" Nightwing complimented as he jumped back to her side, taking up a fighting pose. "Now bring it on home!"

However, deep down, Nightwing was concerned. _"She can't hide it in her eyes though…deep down she's loathe to fight her brother…bit by bit her resolve is weakening and eventually she'll collapse…and then she too might become 086's toy…such a cruel fate for one with such potential…"_

Jake crossed his arms, smirking, meanwhile, 086 laughed. "Ha-ha-ha-ha! You say I'm making your brother say all those things? Tell me…are you really sure you can understand how he feels? He may have been smiling on the outside, but on the inside, he was crying…desperate…wanting more…and hating people like you who had everything going for you. Don't be too hard on him though…"

Shadow smirked. "ALL of your kind are weak like this…"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Haley screamed as her book glowed. "**OMNIS-ACERBUS!**" She roared out, holding up the book as Nightwing raised both hands. Wings glowing brightly with dark energy, Nightwing called forth an enormous beam of dark energy that swirled down through the air at 086, who frowned.

"Hmm…Jake?"

"Right then! **AKUGYOU!**" Jake read from the book.

The evil experiment 086, aka Shadow, traced a blood-red circle in mid-air with a single long claw. It formed a pulsing shield of red energy that encircled him and Jake as the "Omnis-Acerbus" attack came down on them. With a mighty crashing of thunder, dust was scattered everywhere, and although the impact caused a crater to be formed beneath…

They themselves were unharmed. They dusted themselves off and then Shadow shook his head. "Even your more powerful spells are being shot down? I'm very, very disappointed…"

"Did you REALLY think I was ever your friend?" Jake asked. "That I was just alright with having you as my sister? That I never resented you at all?"

Haley frowned. She didn't like where this was going, so she raised the book up…unfortunately Jake did too!

"**AKUZETSU!**" Jake shouted as Shadow held up all his claws. They pulsed with energy that shot out in a double helix beam of red…but Haley had her book glowing too!

"**ATRAE!**" Haley yelled out as Nightwing raised his clawed hands and sent forth double-helix waves of PURPLE energy. The two attacks collided in mid-air and they began a tug-of-war as one power tried to push back another.

"It's true that I used to care for you, Haley…I wanted to be on the Dragon Council…I was happy being the American Dragon and would have been overjoyed to make history…to make my family proud of me!" Jake told her. "But then…then you said you wanted to follow in my footsteps and to become a member of the council too!"

He frowned, gritting his fangs as his gigantic wings beat the air in anger. "But our lives were always different, even if we lived under the same house!" He shouted. "We were never truly EQUAL! You went to a fancy private school and outperformed me in Academics!"

Haley flinched slightly…

"You were a star in the ballet, an amazing musical performer, pretty and cute and talented in all sorts of arts! Nothing about us was equal!" Jake roared.

The blood-red wave of energy grew bigger…too big! It shot through Nightwing's attack and he was forced to jump back, carrying Haley out of the line of fire…but she was still bruised and battered, covered in dirt as the wind whipped around them all.

Nightwing held onto her soft skin, looking intently into her dark eyes with his own. "What's wrong with you! You have to keep fighting!"

"That power…there really was such a deep hatred in him…" Haley muttered. "I could FEEL it, Nightwing…"

Nightwing glared angrily at Jake and 086. Jake brushed some dirt off and went on.

"Even when it came to dragon powers…even _then_ we weren't equal! Being the American Dragon was always MY thing…and everything else in the freakin' world was YOUR thing, Haley! For a long time I was happy because you didn't threaten my position…but then you started getting more and more competent! Do you have any idea how it FELT?!" Jake shouted. "My greatest talent was saving others through that skill…and you began to take even THAT away from me! And when I finally thought I'd proven myself and was going to become a council member, you dropped the bombshell that you wanted to be a council member too! It was like when you were first doing dragon training all over again!" Jake said, his body shaking as he transformed back into a human.

"You…everything you did…had always surpassed me before…except for being good at dragon duties…and you were going to surpass me then too? Take away the last happiness I had?!" Jake shouted, eyes filling with tears. "I COULD NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT!!!" He screamed. "**MADOU!**"

Shadow opened his jaws and a beam of light began to focus before him, like tiny sparks being drawn to a single point. Then they erupted and fired off a red blast…

But then Haley smiled defiantly and raised her own book. "**ACERBUS!**" She shouted.

BA-BA-BOOOM!

The two attacks collided and halted each other.

"Heh…so you hated me? I don't believe that for a second…because despite those times when you criticized me for being too "perfect"…you still saved me time and time again when I was in danger…and you were smiling all the while whenever we played together, or went out flying as a team to defend the magical world…there's a LIMIT to forced smiles…and a turning point when playing pretend must become the real thing! And I don't think for one minute that Jake **truly** hated me!" Haley laughed triumphantly, clasping one hand on her chest.

086 felt a twinge of annoyance enter his head. "…hrm…she's being more stubbornly resistant than I thought. Persistent wyrmling! No matter…it's important to always have a trump card, and I am no exception…"

Jake clenched his fists. "WINGS OF THE DRAGON!" he shouted, as wings sprouted from his back. He soared up into the air, taking a position on a natural pillar. 086 calmly floated by his side.

"Say, Haley…do you remember that incident? The day that we were revealed to be dragons to NYC?" He asked.

Haley gasped. No…could it be? It COULDN'T!

Jake brushed his hair back and spoke calmly. "It was drizzling on that day…you were approached by a news team and at first you thought it had to do with you being so famous for ballet…but then they started asking that you transform, and asking where you got your dragon powers from and you knew somebody had squealed. Your grandfather's shop was broken into and desecrated, your teacher Sun was frightened to be seen with you for fear of attack, yet she still continued to train you, outing HERSELF as a dragon as well…your friends were jealous of your powers and abandoned you…" He smirked. "Guess they weren't very good friends…were they? Not like MINE, who didn't care about my powers. In fact, if it wasn't for the assault of demons on NYC that you and I took part in, they would have continued to see us as nothing more than wyrms…but still, it proved to be the most awful year of your life…not a single one of your old friends came to your 13th birthday party…and you're STILL trying to regain their trust even today! Well guess what…"

He grinned evilly. "Guess who told? How _inconsiderate_ of me not to cut you in on the cash!" He laughed. "The New York Times paid me handsomely for the story!"

Haley's eyes went wide. "…no…that's…that's impossible!!" She shouted. "You've got no PROOF!" She yelled.

"Oh, but I do…" Jake calmly removed a paper from his pocket and tossed it in a crumpled-up wad at Haley, who caught it in one hand. She opened it up and…

A contract agreement regarding a share of the profits for a story…a story about a dragon…

And there was Jake's signature next to Bill Keller, Executive Editor of the News department…

"…no…" Haley sobbed, tears streaming down her face as she covered her eyes with her hands, her body shaking. Nightwing turned to her, frowning slightly, as if wanting to say something but unsure of what words to use. "No-hoh-hohhh…"

"Somebody who always had everything going for her…could never understand the feelings of somebody like me…who had to work constantly just to gain a tiny foothold!" Jake screamed as he opened up his book again. "**AKUSHIN!**"

Shadow's mouth opened wide as his claws outstretched. Points of blood-red light form at both palms and before his mouth, and then they SHOT out in a large, orb-like burst of energy that was pulsing with black fire that ran up and down it like lightning.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaa!" Shadow laughed. "Ah, to damn somebody to Hell in a baptism of flame is so beautifully wonderful." He crooned. "I just get such a warm and fuzzy feelin' from it…what's the matter, fire dragon?!" He laughed. "Aren't your kind BORN on the outer regions of the PIT?"

There was no reply. Nothing but smoke was rising up from where Haley and Nightwing had been, obscuring his vision. He couldn't even smell them because the dust was filling his nostrils.

"Such a pathetic waste of life. You couldn't even call up a counter spell? Typical inferiority for those of the human species. Look for me in Hell, you little bi-"

Then his eyes narrowed angrily.

There, standing in front of Haley, arms outstretched, body bruised and bloody as red droplets streamed down from the entire front of his body…Nightwing stood there, baring his fangs, eyes filled with utter, pure HATE.

"Hmm…you stopped one of my highest spells with your body ALONE? Now THAT…takes guts." He smirked evilly. "But…" He added in a devious tone. "Your body's on the verge of death's door! You'll be in Hell soon enough, another victim of the King of Death…"

"You…need…to…shut…up…" Nightwing growled. And then he turned his eye and glared DIRECTLY into Haley's eyes. That piercing glare was the most horrifying thing she'd ever seen from him…

SMACK!

He struck her across the face, backhanding her and she tasted blood in her mouth as she hit the ground. Nightwing grabbed her by her collar, snarling as he glared into her eyes.

"What the hell is WRONG with you, you IDIOT?!?" He howled. "You let your brother talk to you just a couple times and already you're USELESS!? Is this all it takes to reduce you to a nervous wreck? A few nasty words?!" He hissed.

Haley didn't even have the heart to speak. She just let the tears fall down her cheeks.

"…HMPH." Nightwing tossed her to the ground, walking off. "I expected more from a fellow dragon. Fine. Do whatever the hell you want…I'll defeat this little sadist on my own."

Yet even as he stepped forward, Haley could see his body was trying to write checks that couldn't be cashed…he was shaking madly as the blood oozed down his body…

"You…are…going…to…DIE." He told 086. "And I…am going…to ENJOY it!"

"How amusing. This is going to be so much fun!" Shadow mused. "Jake, be a good little puppet and help me tear this idiot to pieces with some spells…"

"**Makaze!**" Jake read from the book. A blast of red energy shot out from 086's claws, but Nightwing batted it away and continued to walk closer, even though he was dragging his left and it was hard to lift his arms…

_"I…will not lose…I will NOT die here…"_ He thought to himself. _"My…honor…is on the line!"_

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "I heard thaaaat." He said, snickering madly. "Jake?"

"**Waruasobi!**" Jake announced. Shadow calmly floated down in front of Nightwing and then did one of the most disgusting things ever…his long tongue shot out and wrapped around Nightwing's left arm, burning it with acid!

"AAA!" The black dragon screamed in pain…yet even still he continued to stand…

Haley couldn't cast any more spells…her heart simply wasn't into it anymore…there was only one way to save her partner, she reasoned. She held the book up.

"STOP!" She screamed.

Shadow let go of the dark dragon raising an eyebrow. "Hmm? What's THIS?" he asked.

"Don't hurt him anymore…" Haley sobbed, getting on her knees. "Burn the book, just…just don't hurt him anymore…"

Shadow let a wicked, pitiless smile cross his features. "Oh whoever said I wanted to simply BURN the books of my competitors? No, when a chance like this comes, I have to relish it. Jake…your sister's being cowardly. That's bad. That's worthy of punishment." He told Jake.

"Punishment is good, yo." Jake agreed. "Keep it real. Ice that bitch!"

Shadow batted Nightwing to the side with a harsh blow and advanced on Haley. He quickly slashed at her stomach and sent her to her reeling back as she held onto it, blood dripping out. Smirking, he calmly jumped into the air and KICKED her in the stomach and she fell straight onto her back.

His grin was the work of demons as he hummed and began calmly carving into her chest. _**"I see a window and I want it painted black…no colors anymore I want them turning black!"**_ He sang out, laughing.

"You…sick…" Nightwing hissed.

"Now, now, you'll get your turn soon enough." Shadow crooned to him, turning his head briefly before he leaned in close to her neck. Then he grinned and bit in, drinking her blood…

Haley felt her life begin to slip away…this was it, it was over, she was dead, and Jake ha-

Jake had transformed his hands into the claws of a dragon and…

He…

Was…

Crying…

"Punishment…is…good…" He whispered softly, raising his claws. And then he struck his chest over and over again, sending out horrible splotches onto the ground.

Shadow stopped sucking from Haley's neck and turned around, eyes wide. "NO!" He howled. "What the devil do you think you're doing?!" He snarled, clenching his fist.

"This…is…good!" Jake sobbed as the blood streamed down his chest. "It's good…it's good…"

And then she could hear it…the TRUE Jake behind the façade…

"Haley…help me! I'm so cold and scared…please…get up! PLEASE!"

Haley's eyes widened as she rose to her feet, hope filling her.

"Stop that you little…" Shadow began. But before he could swear…

Haley whistled. Nightwing grinned, and held out one hand. He KNEW that whistle!

"**ATRUM-PASSIM!**"

THA-BA-WHOOOOOM! A dark force of black rain shot down from the sky, summoned forth by Nightwing. It SLAMMED into 086, and his eyes went wide with pain. His expression as the attack hit him was almost comical…eyes bugged out, mouth a perfect "o", hair standing slightly on end…

What WASN'T so comical was the freakish glare that he tossed at her as his dark eyes became filled with bloodlust.

"You hateful little BITCH! PATHETIC WYRMS!" He snarled. "I'LL SEND YOU TO HEEEEELLLLL!" He howled.

His normally calm demeanor had been replaced with utter fury and hatred. But Haley had regained her conviction…

"I told you, 086…I KNOW MY BROTHER!" She shouted.

"Little pest! I'll send you ALL to hell!" He laughed, raising two claws and mentally forcing his "partner" to cast another spell.

"**AKUJI.**" Jake got out, even though blood oozed down from his chest even now, ruining his clothes. The machine-gun energy blasts rippled through the air, but Haley transformed into a dragon, her wings beating quickly as she whizzed along the ground, dodging the attacks. She was so close…so close…

…

…

…

… _"Come on, hit me harder!" Nightwing urged. "You can't hold back when it comes to opponents who follow the path of the dark…myself included! HARDER!"_

…

…

…

… _"Stop closing your eyes when an attack comes your way!" He shouted, slapping her across the face. "You CAN'T close your eyes, not EVER! Look your opponent in the eye, scale-bearer! Be BRAVE!"_

…

…

…

… _"You must not think of yourself as dead, because you'll lose the passion that the living have. Nor must you think of yourself as alive, for those that live can be filled with fear. Transcend." He told her as he gently held her chin up. "Become a heavenly being of might that can sear evil with her flames and rend her foes asunder with her claws…take to the skies and become the dragon you are!"_

…

…

…

…everything she'd done until now was for this…to free her brother…to pull him from the dark tunnel he was walking down through!

"STOP RESISTING!" Jake shouted. "Do you really want to take this happiness away!?!"

But Haley heard through those lies, smirking at the false face before her, hearing the true words.

"Harder, faster!" Jake was urging. "Please, Haley! Hurry!"

"You little SHIT! Why do you not stay DOWN!?!" Shadow snarled. "You're only HALF dragon! Half of nothing is still nothing!"

"Oh no you DI-IN'T!" Haley shouted, rising into the air and holding the book high. "**UMBRA!**"

THA-WOOSHA-WOOSHA!

Chains of dark energy surrounded Shadow, tying him down to the ground. He snarled in pain as they dug into his fur.

"GIIIYAAAAH!" He snarled. "How can you still…still STAND?! And fight against the one who revealed your true identity to all of NYC and made you a pariah to your friends?!" He demanded to know.

"Something just tells me…that contract's a fake." Haley laughed, ripping up the contract before his eyes.

"Like heck it would look like a fake, I copied the signature perfect-" Shadow hissed…

Then he stopped in mid-sentence. _**Oh F—K.**_

"Idiot." Nightwing laughed.

"Serves you right!" Haley shouted, eyes filled with triumphant defiance. "You can never TRULY manipulate a person's heart!" She shouted. "ESPECIALLY NOT SOMEBODY AS STRONG IN WILL AS MY BROTHER!!!" She roared with the fury of a thunderbolt that seemed to rip through the air.

Shadow screamed in pain as Nightwing concentrated even harder along with Haley and the chains dug in DEEPER. Now blood oozed out of the corner of his mouth. Finally he did the last resort of all villains…using his hostage.

Activating a mental bolt, he sent it out and Jake, eyes glassy, stepped off the tall column of stone he was on…

"HA! What will you do-" He began.

THA-WHOOOM!

Nightwing's jaws opened wide and he sent a breath of fire covering 086 in fire. Shadow screamed as Haley raced through the air on her wings, arms outstretched…

THWOMP.

She caught Jake as he fell and gently lowered him down to the ground as she turned her head to see Shadow breaking free of the chains and doing a last-ditch hand-to-hand attack on Nightwing. Shadow smirked evilly as his claws dug into Nightwing's shoulders and Nightwing grit his teeth.

"Physically, you are still weaker than I am!" He laughed. He slammed Nightwing down onto the ground and raised a claw. "Look for me in hell!" He proclaimed.

THRUCKA!

Nightwing's arm, which had been limp before, shot forth and grabbed his neck, squeezing tightly. Shadow gasped, finding his air supply cut off. It wasn't…POSSIBLE!

"It's more than possible." Nightwing said, eyes glinting like black diamonds, grinning broadly. "It's happening!"

He shoved Shadow back, and then SLAMMED his fist into Shadow's face. A horrible cracking noise told Shadow that his nose was broken, and he felt warm blood ooze down the front of his face to form on the ground with the rest of the blood from his body which glowed neon green.

It was over…or was it?

Haley frowned as Shadow laughed over and over as he lay in a blood puddle and Nightwing looked down on him.

"Happiness will never return to your brother…it's true, I manipulated him and created a dark version of what he was…and it's true that he'll return to "normal" when you burn my book…but…"

Shadow licked his lips. "The kind of person Jake is…he's so kind-hearted, so willing to help others. Knowing that he's responsible for the murders of others…and for the torture of his own sister…" Shadow smiled horribly. "How delicious his anguish shall be. Unlike the fanon line partners who will retain none of their memories, Jake will keep his experiences that he shared as my partner! He'll feel so horrible…he might even KILL himself! My only regret is I can't help him do it!" He laughed.

"I KNEW ALL ABOUT THAT!" Haley snarled, throttling him with her hands. Shadow was too shocked to stop her. "There's a reason I told those guys back at the ruins not to touch a hair on your sick head…I knew you were the only one with the power to return my brother to the way he was before he met you! I want you to return him to normal!" She demanded.

"…hmph….well…" Shadow looked to the side as Haley stood up and walked back to Nightwing, who glared at him. "Yes, I can erase memories with my psychic abilities…"

Then he stood up and grinned, thrusting his hands up into the air. "But I don't think somebody who's about to die will need my power! My final order, Jake!"

Jake was still clutching the book. He read out the very last spell…

"**AMATSU-MIKABOSHI!**" Jake shouted.

A HUGE orb of blood flowed around within an orb made of black glass, sizzling like acid as lightning split the air around the glass that was rising down from black clouds that 086 had called forth. It swirled around and then SHATTERED, as the bloody river poured forth, surging with chunks of the black glass interspaced through it, aiming to drown them in despair and cut their bodies to pieces…

But Haley simply raised her book and grinned.

"**OMNIS-ACERBUS!**"

THA-WHOOOOMMMMM!

The attack slammed into the river of blood, and a dome of black light grew bigger…bigger…it encompassed them all, blinding 086 as he snarled…

…

…

…

…it was dark for a long time. But then…at last…the darkness faded away…

And Shadow was on his back, covered in cuts and bruises all over his body as he lay in a pool of his own blood, gasping in pain. He couldn't move a muscle…and his attack had failed. It had been obliterated utterly by the "Omnis-Acerbus" attack.

"You…defeated me." He finally got out. He sighed. "I don't understand. I just don't. WHY?"

"Why do you do what YOU do?" Nightwing asked.

"What sort of question is THAT?" Shadow mumbled. "It's my nature!" He said.

"No…it's NOT." Nightwing said. "If there's one thing I am attuned to, it's dark energy. The darkness within you stems not merely from a pitiful acceptance of your lot, but also from personal loss…"

Shadow's eyes flashed. "You little FUCK! Don't you pry into my heart, I will-"

Nightwing and Haley's eyes gazed down at him, their eyes peering into his soul and he was silenced.

"…f-fine. You defeated my strongest spell. I suppose there's something to be said for the strength of human after all…alright. Your stupid little brother will be restored to normal…" He muttered. "If nothing else, I do keep my word."

Jake stirred…

…

…

…

… "Come on everyone, I saw it over here!" Pleakley shouted as he led everyone towards the region where that huge explosion had come from. And who should they find but Nightwing and Haley, covered in bruises and wounds?

"Woah. You were TRASHED, but…if you're still here, that means that 086 is history!" Nick reasoned.

"And what about you?" Haley asked. "You all look very worse-for-wear yourselves." She said, pointing at Nick. "Especially you and "Chops" over there."

Chops shrugged, then scratched his stomach. "We got by." He said simply. "Everyone joined in. It was really quite a sight."

"Heh…wish I coulda seen it." Haley said softly.

"You still haven't burnt 086's book?" Jenny asked, pointing at the tied-up Shadow, who was looking at the ground, mumbling curses under his breath.

"Yeah, we've got to make sure he return's my brother to normal. But don't worry…his book's as good as burnt." Haley insisted. "I'll use my own flames!" She said, transforming before their eyes and winking at them in her dragon form.

"AAAA! It's **HE**!" Crystallene and Morpholomew shouted, pointing at Nightwing, who had been flying above in the air and had now landed by Shadow. He took a look at them and gave them a chilling smile.

"He's just as creepy as ever…" Jenny mumbled.

"Oh right, you met them before." Nick said.

Pleakley gulped a little, then straightened himself up. "A-A-A dragon…impressive!" He said, eyes going wide in awe.

"Glad to see you're still alright." Haley told her. "You've all got great spunk! Wait…where's the little angel partner of that gerbil doctor?"

Dr. Rupert grit his teeth and clenched his fist. "…he…was loyal…and brave…to the very end…" He whispered. "Even as his book burnt to cinders…he protected the ones he cared for with a spell that sent one of the Legendary Beasts back…"

"And my own partner Link was sent back some time ago as well." Pleakley said. "…I'm…gonna…miss that little guy!" He said, covering his eye with his hands.

Haley frowned slightly. "Oh…" Then she looked to the side. "I'm sorry."

"…too bad. They were both interesting." Nightwing admitted. "That Link was funny…and Page always stuck to his convictions…I do admire that in someone." He said softly, nodding his head.

"561's voice makes me wanna pee my pants all over again!" Morpholomew moaned, covering his eyes.

Heartwing gazed intently at his rival. The two stared deeply into each other's eyes, then nodded at the same time, as if reaching some strange understanding.

"Well, it's time we got going…my parents are worried sick about Jake and I…" She smiled as Nightwing rose up into the air, holding onto Shadow. "I hope I get to see you around sometime…don't be strangers, okay?" She said happily as she rose into the air after him on her wings. "Take care!" She said before she and Nightwing and their "prey" were nothing more than rapidly-vanishing dots in the sky.

Dr. Rupert spoke up, taking a deep breath. "Everyone…I'm…proud of all of you. We have cause to cry because of the sacrifice some good souls made, but…this is also reason to celebrate. We protected the world from 086's evil…and truly made a stand against dark and dangerous forces. I want all of you…" He pointed at the experiments one by one. "To strive to become good kinds, to do all you can to retain the fighting spirit you've got now! And…" He grinned and winked. "I'm gonna help you whenever I can, whether you want me to…or NOT!"

"Yes! I'll work hard and prove myself! I will become a just and fair champion!" Chops insisted, clasping one fist over his chest.

"Yeah! And I'm gonna become somebody who will fill the lab with smiles and laughter!" Morpholomew said.

"I se convertirá en alguien que utilizar mi habilidad musical para llenar mi casa con alegría!" Carmen said.

"Carmen says she'll become somebody who fills her home with joy thanks to her music!" Jenny translated.

"I'll become strong and brave, a real role model!" Crystallene said. "Pinkie swear!" She laughed, raising her pinkie.

"I shall become a protecting champion who will stand up for others!" Trainer proclaimed.

"And I'll do everything to help you reach that goal." Kim said, nodding.

"Ban-ban-ban-ban!" Heartwing said, raising a fist into the air and swinging it around.

"Little dude is saying he'll make Ovni proud and become somebody who's efforts will vindicate the 400 line!" Dude announced.

"Woah? Really?" Nick asked.

"Yep! Either that, or something about cake." Dude spoke.

Heartwing rolled his eyes.

"Hey…you freed us fanon liners. I wanna thank you, but I gotta last request." Kila said. "But…well…er...I kinda…"

"I understand." XR said, speaking up. "Kila…I support this if it is what you truly want, okay?" He said gently.

"…alright. Guys…" She held up her book. "Burn my book, alright guys? This isn't my fight…it used to be, but not anymore. So…couldja?"

"But…you're so nice…" Nick said softly.

"Yes, you're a good-hearted person and you're very strong…maybe somebody like you deserves this chance!" Chops reasoned.

"Look, trust me, this is for the best." Kila said. "XR and I are BOTH linked to the book…and we've gotta get going home…the others are waiting for us. Even if 100 years have passed…I know they're still waiting."

She held XR's hand. "Go ahead…we're gonna be fine."

"…you love him, don't you? That's why you chose him as your partner." Chops said softly.

Kila blinked in surprise…then nodded, and hugged XR tightly.

"He's the BEST partner ever!!!" Kila said happily, squeezing him.

"What can I say? She…she digs me…" XR said, laughing slightly as he hugged her back . "I'm gonna miss you guys too…you're fun!"

"You're a swell buncha guys…I hope we meet again!" Kila said.

"Alright…I'll burn your book." Dr. Rupert said, pulling out a lighter. He lit their book up, and they watched as XR and Kila began to vanish into tiny dots of light that were fading into the heavens.

"We couldn't have won if it wasn't for you!" Chops insisted. "Thank you!"

"Mahalo for everything!" Dude said.

"I'm gonna miss you, girlfriend!" Crystallene said softly.

"You…take care of yourself…alright?" Nick said, wiping his eyes.

"B-b-byyyyyeeeee…" Heartwing sobbed, tears streaming down his eyes. Kila gently kissed him on the snout, and he blushed nervously.

"We all feel the same…thank you…" Dr. Rupert said softly, looking down and covering his eyes with his arm.

She and XR vanished into the sky…

"Thank you both…" They all whispered.

A few moments later, Dr. Rupert nodded. "This is it…" He said. "Now a true challenge begins. But I believe that every single one of you experiments of my dear colleague and friend has the courageous conviction to become champion! So don't you muck it up, alright?" He demanded of them, clenching his fist.

"Everyone, hands in! Let's do this the old fashioned way." Nick said, holding out his hand.

One by one, all of the experiments and their partners put their hands in. "We're all ohana now…so let's proclaim it to the skies on three! One…two…three!"

"_**OHANA**_!" Everyone shouted happily, holding their hands up to the heavens…

And so, Pleakley paid for the necessary plane tickets to send the others to their respective homes. One by one they all said goodbye to return to their lives.

And as for Haley, Jake, Nightwing and 086…well…

086 was true to his word and erased Jake's memories. Then his book was burnt and he found himself back in the lab…

Facing down Jumba and other experiments who had been sent back.

"I am very…disappointed in you, 086." He said softly. "VERY disappointed."

"But…but Jumba, I…I was so close, I…fulfilled the function you gave me…" Shadow gasped, eyes filling with fear. He knew, he KNEW what Jumba intended to do.

"That function was a mistake." Jumba continued. "You are a serial-killing experiment…made out of anger and frustration…and too late have I realized that you are barely able to be controlled. You manipulated your own partner…you cannot be trusted to follow my orders or to improve in time. I told the other experiments they were to WORK with their partner as best they could, and not to fool around with their minds and hearts!" He shouted, slamming his fist into his worktable.

Shadow took a step back, shaking his head. No, no, no…

"And so…you leave me no choice but to remove your consciousness and place it in a new body…" Jumba announced, standing up and pointing at Shadow.

God of Death, no! This couldn't be happening! Before Shadow could do anything, his weakened body was grabbed by the throng of experiments and he was forced into a chair, strapped in hard as needles stabbed into his bloodstream and head. He felt them JAB into his very brain and his consciousness was slowly fading…

Jumba walked off to go behind a computer console and pressed a button a new experimental body rose up from a platform below the floor. Shadow shook his head violently. NO, NO, NO! Not such a weak, pathetic body! "NOOOO!" He howled as he felt his life begin to ebb away…

"Cousin…dear cousin…"

He felt a warm hand upon his arm and he gasped. All was dark around him, yet he could see that foolish choir boy's presence as clear as day…glowing brightly…

"I will grant you a kindness, cousin." Page told him. "You won't remember the monstrosities you committed because I will split your soul…the light from the dark."

He felt Page's eyes gaze into him and found he couldn't look away…a moment later two wisps of smoke arose from Shadow's mouth, forming into tiny orbs…one black, one white.

"Your light shall enter this new experiment and give it life…you will be reborn and have a chance to live a life of TRUE happiness…" Page said. "Your darkness I shall cast away…hope for the sake of all things that it doesn't find a new home and that it stays within the abyss forever."

The black orb faded into the abyss around Shadow as his vision slowly faded…and then…darkness.

…

…

…

…warm…life…

Where am I? WHO am I?

"Ah. Hello, 086. I am your creator, Jumba Jookiba."

"086? Th…that's my name?"

"Designation. And your name…I know! You will be called…Clink!"

…

…

…

…Haley smiled just before she turned the doorknob to her brother's room. She'd brought 086 before the Dragon Council and he'd been forced to explain what he'd made Jake do. They had absolved Jake of what he had done and had been reduced to tears when Haley had told them of how Jake had almost killed himself in trying to resist Shadow's cruelty. There would still be a spot for him on the council…and above all, nobody would ever speak of what had happened to him. EVER.

Jake himself was now lying in bed when Haley opened the door and he smiled at her. "Haley! What's happenin-hap?" He asked.

"I'm doing alright." She insisted. "What about you, dude?"

He laughed. "Fine, fine! I heard the council's welcoming me into their fold with open arms! Off the HOOK, yo! But…" He frowned. "I heard that some people set fire to a huge part of Central Park and that magical involvement was suspected…I should have been there to stop it!" He said, clenching his fist. "I'm still Am-Drag, yo!"

"It's alright, somebody got behind you and you were cold-cocked…at least, that's what I heard." Haley said in a supportive fashion, holding his shoulder. "You should be happy Jake…you're going to be on the council…your real life is beginning!"

But just before she could leave, Jake spoke up.

"Haley, wait…"

She stopped in mid-stride.

"You saved me, didn't you? You saved me again!"

Haley's eyes became wide as she turned around and saw Jake was standing up in bed, looking very pained.

"I remember…I was alone in darkness, but then I felt you calling out to me! I don't know who knocked me out, but I KNOW…" He smiled happily. "I know you're the one who saved me from being lost forever in that horrible cold! I…" Tears of joy sprung to his eyes. "I can't thank you enough, Haley…I…I…"

Finally he couldn't take it anymore. He leapt out of bed and the two hugged tightly.

"I…I love you so much…" Haley whispered back. "I don't know what I'd do if…if…"

"You don't have to say anything!" Jake insisted. "I understand, alright?...I understand…"

…

…

…

… Nightwing was calmly sitting outside on the curb of the street just outside of the Long family home. He was looking up at the sky, slowly blinking his eyes as he waited for his partner to finish up. And then…

"561…Nightwing…"

He turned his head. "Hmm?"

"Why…did you ask Shadow what you asked him? Why do YOU want to be a champion?" Haley asked quietly as she approached.

"…I was like him." 561 admitted. "I was selfish and idiotic." He said, standing up and looking at the sky. "I believed only in doing evil because it was my nature, and that I had too much darkness in me to ever be good. But I was worse than he was…he had a chance at true happiness in the beginning, but because he lost it, chose the path of darkness. I…walked the dark path from the beginning, accepting it as my fate instead of looking for light the way Shadow had once done. But then…as I began to spend time with you and learn your story, I understood…"

He turned to Haley and nodded. "You became stronger so you wouldn't be shamed by monsters like him. And that…is something I have come to respect. Those who fight hard for their convictions…who give their heart and soul for the sake of a grand ideal, or for the sake of others…that is admirable."

Haley took him by the shoulder and stared right into his eyes. "I…will make you the champion!" She swore. "I don't care what comes my way or who we have to beat down…I swear I'll do EVERYTHING I can to help you reach the top!" She shouted.

"…and I'll help you." He said softly, taking her hand.

Slowly they walked off, away from the house. Jake had heard everything from his room and he smiled as he watched Nightwing walk off with his sister.

"He's a lonely person…but he's somebody who's just beginning to discover the blossoming kindness within them." Jake thought to himself. "And that will help him become somebody who's truly strong…he'll become a real dragon, a true guardian of that which is most precious…"

…

…

…

… "Sigh…"

Nick sighed happily as he leaned back in his chair. "Nothing like being fighting off a experiment that would happily eat you for lunch to make you appreciate school!" He thought to himself. "I mighta missed a few days of classes, but I don't mind asking my classmates for the material that the upcoming test will be on!"

"Alright, everyone, take your seats!" A voice announced.

Nick gasped at the sight of who it was…

The Inhuman Racist, Mr. Honikouule!

"What…the?!" Nick gaped.

"That's riiiight! It's me, Mr. Grey! The "Inhuman" Mr. Honikouule!" The teacher laughed.

"EEK! Did he read my MIND!?" Nick gasped.

"And don't bother trying to ask your classmates for the test material." The teacher told him. "Because…"

He grinned evilly. "I haven't taught the subject matter to anyone in this class!"

"WHAAAAAT?!?" Everyone shouted.

"Are you TRYING to get fired again!?" Nick asked. "I can't BELIEVE they let you back into the school system!"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You're all going to get zeroes! And it's no use complaining, because I have a powerful ally!" He laughed. "The Hawaiian as a Second Language Teacher, Ms. Edmonds!"

"MOM!?!" Myrtle shouted.

"Oh yes!" Mrs. Edmonds said, entering the class and smiling happily at them all. "I KNOW what's going to be on the test…but none of you are going to find out. Not even you, Myrtle." She said.

"AAA! My mom's gone Benedict Arnold!" Myrtle shouted, covering her eyes.

"…yep. Nothing like fifteen minutes of school to make you appreciate being attacked by a psychotic man-eating experiment." Nick thought to himself.

**CREDITS:**

Dr. Rupert sits on a hill, looking up at the stars. He then slowly lowers his head as a single tear drops down his cheek…and then the ghostly form of Page brushes it away. He looks over at it and it smiles happily before vanishing.)

**_Ieji wo isogu nagareru hitogomi…_**

**_doko ka de yori michi nanka shite!_**

**_nante koto nai basho datte ii kara…_**

**_mou sugoshi hanashitetai yo!_**

(Haley and Nightwing sit underneath a tree as the stars twinkle. Haley is fast asleep and Nightwing calmly brushes some hair out of her eyes, looking her over.)

**_Taaanoshi sugiru toki hodo,_**

**_haaaayaku sugite iku mono!_**

**_Yoru ga chikazuku…shizuka na kouen…_**

**_kyou no nukumori sagashiiiiteru!_**

(Nick sits on top of his roof, clutching his book to his body as he sees the faces of the fanon line experiments they've beaten up in the stars…)

**_Nanigenai kotoba datte taisetsu ni shitai!_**

**_Nanigenai itami datte zutto mamoritai!_**

**_Itsuka kitto kakegaenai…_**

**_mono ni kawaru sono hi madeeeee!_**

(Chopsuey slowly walks down the road, his Mohawk swaying back and forth, his eyes impossible to see in the darkness…)

**_Meguri yuku kisetsu no naka,_**

**_samishisa ni furete…_**

**_bokutachi wa itsuka hontou no,_**

**_itoshisa shiru no daroouuu…_**

(He looks up at the roof at his book keeper and smiles, jumping onto a telephone pole and then jumping to the roof to sit next to him. He begins to identify different stars to Nick…)

**_Hito wa mina okubyou dakara,_**

**_yume wo miru no ka naaa?_**

**_Hito wa mina kodoku dakara,_**

**_ai wo sagasu no ka naaaa?_**

**_Kitto chigau…basho de kimi mo…_**

**_onaji tsuki wo miteru yo neeeee!_**

(A brown-haired, grey-furred experiment watches from from a hilltop far away. He smiles gently as his hair is blown in the wind. Then he turns around and begins to walk away as the stars twinkle gently above.)

"I can't wait to tell the others…"

**Author's Note:**

**And so, Season Two ends! I'm amazed at how far this story has gotten and the RESPONSE to it. It started out as a tribute with a hint of parody towards great L&S artists AND to Zatch Bell and the Kioko's "Chronicles" and it became something even more...an amazingly deep fantasy story filled with friendship, laughs and lots of adventure! **

**And the story's still not finished! I won't give too much away, but there's even more great stuff to come...so stay tuned, and don't forget to read and review! :)**


	30. 614, The Sharp Tongued Gunner

**CHAPTER THIRTY  
****あきらめないで！****614 ****、辛らつなガナー！****  
Don't Give Up! 614, The Sharp-Tongued Gunner!**

SEASON THREE! Opening credits, WOO!

* * *

(Nick and Chops look up at the sky as the clouds pass overhead. Nick smiles happily as he clutches his book, then he and Chops take off running across a plain.)

_**Ashita he tsuzuku sakamichi no tochuu de!  
Surechigau otona tachi wa tsubuyaku no saaaaaa!  
Ai to ka yume to ka risou mo wakaru kedo!  
Me no mae no genjitsu wa sonna ni amakunaiiii tte!**_

(Heartwing flies overhead, with Dude hanging onto his tail. Both wave down below.

_**Tsumazukinagara mo…korogarinagara mo…  
Kasabuta darake no jyounetsu wo wasuretakunaiiiii!**_

(Spud jams out on a guitar while Morpholomew tries testing out the sound system. It shocks him and he hits the wall, becoming a smoking, black mess. He moans as Spud quickly helps him up.)

_**Otona ni narenai bokura no, tsuyogari wo hitotsu kitte kure!  
Nige mo kakure mo shinai kara, waraitai yatsu dake warae!  
Semete tayorinai bokura no, jyuu no me wo tsumitoranai de!  
Mizu wo ageru sono yakume wo, hataseba iin darou?**_

(Crystallene is helping Yuuku with her hair, brushing it for her "girlfriend" while they chat it up.)

_**Nando mo kurikaeshita shippai to ka!  
Ookiku kuichigatta kangae to ka!  
Bokura no kijyan wa toteme futashika de!  
kinou yori nan to naku hohaba ga hirokunaaaatta!**_

(Dr. Rupert is in his study, looking photos over. He smiles at one of him and Page covered in ice cream.)

_**Senobi wo shinagara…uchinomesarenagara…  
kasabuta wo chotto hagasu kedo kotae wa denaiiii!**_

(Nightwing and Haley soar through the skies, looping around each other, two dragons flying in perfect sync.)

_**Otona ni naritai bokura no…wagamama wo hitotsu kiite kure!  
Nete me samete mo shibarareru…jikan wo sukoshi dake tomete!  
Semete fugainai bokura no kyuu no mi wo kiritoranai de…  
Akaku jyukusu sono toki made nayameba iin darooouuu?**_

(Carmen and Jenny are singing and dancing along to the radio, shaking their groove things. Carmen is obviously better at it than Jenny is.)

_**Otona ni narenai bokura no, tsuyogari wo hitotsu kitte kure!  
Nige mo kakure mo shinai kara, waraitai yatsu dake warae!  
Semete tayorinai bokura no, jyuu no me wo tsumitoranai de!  
Mizu wo ageru sono yakume wo, hataseba iin darou?**_

(Now everyone stands at the top of a hill and holds their books up. They all glow…and then the light flashes, and the words "ALTERNATE FATE: FANTASY" appear.)

…

…

…

…Carmen was trying to teach Jenny more Spanish lessons as they sat at the breakfast table…and she was doing this in the best way she knew how…

In SOOOOONG!

_**"Inglés…es la Lengua Madreeee!  
No séeee quien es el padreeee!  
Inglés es la lengua nacional de los Estados Unidoooooos!  
Así pues, limpien mi baño, por favor...  
Y bienvenidoooos!"**_

Carmen smiled, then held up one paw/hand to Jenny. "Now YOU try!"

"Okay…uh…Inglés es la Lengua Madre…  
That's easy! English is the Mother Tongue!

"Si! Si!"

"No sé quien es el padre…  
"I don't know who the father is", right?" Jenny asked, holding a finger up.

Carmen nodded.

"Inglés es la lengua nacional de los Estados Unidos…that means...  
English is the national language of the United States!"

Carmen clapped her hands. She was getting it!

"Así pues, limpien mi baño, por favor...  
that's "so, please clean my bathroom..."." Jenny went on, rubbing her head.

Carmen nodded and raised a finger up. One more line!

"Y bienvenidos means "And welcome!"…is that right?" Jenny asked, looking nervous.

Carmen laughed happily, clapping her hands. "Si, si! Está progresando muy bien, Jenny!"

"Alright, alright, calm down." Jenny's mom said. "Eat your waffles before they get cold!"

…

…

…

… Jenny and Carmen decided to head out into town to go to the library to pick up a Spanish DVD so that Jenny could practice even more. As they approached the Public Library, Carmen noticed something was pasted over a big billboard outside the building.

"Que?" She looked it over along with Jenny, who read the sign out loud.

"Oh WOW! The library's hosting an expo dedicated to a sculptor that's coming to town. It says his name is "Adio" and that he's bringing a very valuable sculpture of the Greek Goddess Athena right here to Los Angeles!"

"Oooooh…" Carmen said, mouth forming a perfect "o". "Una escultura?" She asked. "Muy bien!"

"I wonder what the sculptor looks like?" Jenny asked. "It says he's been at it for…" She looked over the sign. "38 years? WOAH! That's a long time…" Jenny mused, scratching her head. "He must be really old!"

…

…

…

…a sleek white limo made it's way down the streets towards the library as an Italian-American man with white, whispy hair and a large bald spot at the top of his head was sitting across from his dear partner. Adio was a man going in his 80's but was still very active for somebody of his age…where most would be away in a home, he was out touring the world and showing off his art! He adjusted his cream-colored long-sleeve shirt and flicked another piece of fluff off his dark pants with a wrinkled finger…in fact, the only thing that had more wrinkles in the car was his face…but you know the saying: Wrinkles only exist to show where smiles have been.

By this scale, Adio's life must have been a laugh riot. He was singing a little song along with his partner, who was bobbing his head back and forth, semi-intersested.

_**Alas for my dear Aunty Edna! Her picture is turned to the wall! She eloped to the French Riviera…Momma said she is dead to us all!**_

"Ah, classic, classic." Adio said. "Now you try, Gunner!"

"Alright, fine, fine." His partner mumbled. "One, two, three! Alas for my-UUURRRRKKK!"

He suddenly turned bright green and stuck his head out the window, McVomiting.

"I TOLD you not to chug that coke." Adio said. "Don'tcha know that kinda food will kill you?"

He was a cross between a dog and a kangaroo, with rather large feet that had small talons on the end and dark black hair that jutted out at the top. He was wearing a dark teal vest and had keen yellow eyes with dark pupils. He had a weapon belt strapped around his waist that had many weapons upon them, and sharp-looking claws. He casually opened up one pocket of his vest and took out a cigarette, smoking from it. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that ya agreed to be my partner, ya old fogey. But lissen…I do things my own way, got it? I don't need nobody tellin' me what to do when it comes to how to take care of my body…"

"Such a cafone. I'm 85 and still kicking. I think I would know something about health, Gunny." Adio told him, pointing a gnarled finger.

"Honestly, I'm fine, Adio! Just some stomach jitters!" His partner insisted. "And it's GUNNER!" He growled as he used a lighter to light up his cigarette. "Stop calling me "Gunny", I'm not a little-URK!"

He was forced to roll down the window again and once more puked outside. Adio shook his head, then pulled out the dark brown book that belonged to experiment 614, aka Gunner. "You seriously need to listen to your elders, Gunny. If you don't start showing more respect, I might have to throw this right out!" He said, holding the book up to his own open window.

"AH! No, no, I'll be good!" Gunner said nervously, sweat pouring down his face.

"Just remember…" Adio put the book back in his pack and pointed at the large metallic box that was to their right. "Your job is to protect Athena."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm an experiment, not a human…it matters not how many of your kind come at me." Gunner told Adio, pointing with a single claw. "I haven't forgotten how to fight just because there haven't been that many thieves lately!"

"Don't be a cacasenno." Adio said, which meant that Gunner was acting like a "know-it-all".

"I still don't get it though." Gunner said. "Why the hell would you humans put a value of so much of your money on a stupid piece of clay that looks like an old goddess from ancient times?" He tapped the side of his head. "It's…what's the term you use? Cazzata, bloody nonsense!"

"Hmph." Adio frowned. "It's true that mankind has a fault of trying to put PRICES on things of wonderful things…but…" His eyes turned steely. "Don't mock art that can strike the feelings of people, Gunny. Your job's to protect that which moves people…have more pride! You're no longer just a dog of war, you're something different now…that old life is behind you!"

Gummer "harrumphed" and leaned back in his seat. "I once took down an entire amy of Galactic Federation Soldiers! When my guns ran out of ammo I grabbed one of theirs, when THAT ran out of ammo I grabbed one of their energy lances! And when even THAT broke I used my fists, fangs and claws and finally killed them to the last man…what pride is there in something like this?"

"Hmph…disgraziato! And you wonder why I treat you like a dog…" Adio muttered, shaking his head in shame.

EVENTUALLY…

"Alright…I've got a little something for you to do." Adio said as he stood by the statue in the metal box. "The head of the library and the other representatives will be expecting me…and I'd like you to buy a snack…"

He handed Gunner a wad of bills. "It's called a "calzone". It's essentially a pizza that's also a turnover…I saw some nice little Italian restaurants down the street, one of them has to have a good Apulian cheese calzone." Adio told Gunner. "Go get one for yourself too!"

"Well, alright. Fine. I AM kinda hungry." Gunner said, walking off…

…

…

…

…meanwhile, Jenny had had to use the bathroom inside the library, and Carmen was emerging from a Spanish restaurant across the street, which, interestingly, was right next to an Italian one. She was happily munching on several empanadas, downing them in big, messy gulps. At last she finished up and wiped her mouth with the napkin that had come with the meal, preparing to walk across the street to join Jenny again when…

"Hmm…this smells gooood."

She turned her head and saw what was unmistakably an experiment holding up a calzone as he just exited the Italian restaurant. He looked it over and licked his wolfish lips. "I think I'll eat it right now!"

"Oh no…ees YOU! 614!" She thought, shaking slightly. But he didn't seem to have noticed her. She made to leave…

"And where do YOU think you're going, babe?" Gunner asked. Carmen stiffened in fear. She whipped around…

He wasn't there…

But that's because he'd already maneuvered behind her! He grabbed her and held her in a choke hold. "Gotcha, bitch!" He laughed.

"Suéltame, que raro, como perro-canguro!" She shouted.

"Hey! I resent that!" He muttered angrily. "Trying to catch me off guard, huh?"

"No! Was…ER…eeting…empanada!" She grunted out, trying to get him to let go of her.

"You're gonna hafta wake up pretty d—n early in the morning to fool ME, Carmen!" Gunner laughed, lifting her up and then SLAMMING her into the ground. Before she could make another move, Gunner was rushing at her, claws raised up. "I ain't got my book, but I'm more than powerful enough to waste you!"

TWHUMP!

He gasped as she caught his fist and growled, eyes flaring.

"She…got as strong…as I did?"

"YOU'RE…MAKING ME…LOCO!" She snarled. "I…WAS…JUST…BUYING…EMPANADAAAAAS!" She shouted, grabbing his fist and FLINGING him through the air. He hit a tree with a THA-THUNK and slid down the trunk, groaning in pain.

Carmen panted and wiped herself off as Gunner got back up, groaning as he rubbed his head. "So…you've gained some skills…but it's not enough to beat me!" He shouted. "Show me what you've got, 123!"

Elsewhere, Adio sat in a room on a couch, arms folded as he looked at the man in the three-piece suit before him.

"Well that's it for the contract. Thank you once again for agreeing to have your statue here at the library…we know how much it's worth, we assure you it'll be looked after. Would you like to relax in the lounge area?"

"No, I'm waiting for somebody." Adio said calmly. "Also, my feet have fallen asleep. I need to give them some time to wake up."

"Oh…certainly!" The man said.

_"You can't pull the wool over MY eyes, minchione. You're all thieves…I see it in your eyes." _Adio thought to himself. _"But they're professionals too…they won't be fooled by my act for too long…darn it Gunny, what's taking you so long?!"_

WHAT'S TAKING HIM SO LONG:

"EEERRRRGGGHHH!"

"RRRRRAAAAHHHH!"

"SAY UNCLE!"

"NO!"

"SAY UNCLE!"

Gunner was tugging on Carmen's ears as he sat on top of her but she refused to give up. "SAY UNCLE!" He shouted again.

"NO! I came to see "Athena", No estoy jugando su juego estúpido!" She shouted.

Gunner stopped tugging. "Wait…you came to see the statue? I BROUGHT that dumb thing here…"

He got off of her and dusted himself off. "Why didn'tcha just SAY so?" He asked.

"Because choo tried to BURKE me, estupido!" She muttered.

"Yeah, uh…" Gunner lit up a cigarette. "Sorry 'bout that. Fine, let's get going. I'll show you were my book keeper Adio and "Athena" is…"

SOON…

"WHAT THE?!?"

Gunner ran to his partner's side and quickly untied Adio from the ropes that were tightly wrapped around him. "Old man, what the F--K happened here? Can't an old fogey like you keep outta trouble?!"

"It was a trap. Thieves…stole the statue!" Adio said. "We've got to get it back!" He said, wiping his brow.

"Luckily there's a tracking device I put on it." Gunner said, grinning. "And they forgot to take it off!" He pulled out a small watch-like device from his vest and looked at it. "It's heading to the west…to the docks! There's a river that leads out to sea there!"

"Then we've got to hurry!" Adio said as they headed out the Library to his car. "We shall take the statue back ourselves!"

…

…

…

…the yacht glimmered in the light of the high noon sun as Adio, Carmen and Jenny carefully hid behind a large crate. Carmen had already used a pay phone to call Jenny to go get the police, and now they were sneaking aboard the ship via the chains that were holding the ship to the dock.

"Alright…it's behind this door." Carmen said, holding onto the sensor watch and pointing forward at a metallic door.

"Think you can take it down, Gunny?" Adio asked.

Gunner grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Watch and learn…" He said, slipping some metallic knuckles over his fingers…

Two humans stood behind the door, looking at each other and holding onto guns. "Does this idiot and his friends think we can't HEAR them?" They prepared to fire…

BADDA-BOOOM!

The metallic door flew into them, propelled by Gunner's punch. They and the door slammed into the wall across the way as Carmen and Gunner entered the room. Gunner took up a fighting pose. "HA! Time to have some fun! I'm gonna go f—kin' CRAZY!" He said, and held his head up, howling like a wolf.

"What the?! What ARE these things?!" Another guard shouted as the thieves guarding the statue raised their guns.

"Who cares, just SHOOT!" Another shouted. "Unless you wanna end up a wall decoration!"

"You're gonna end up a wall decoration one way or another!" Gunner laughed as he raced forward, fists clenched. He quickly placed the knocked-down metallic door down as Carmen and Adio hid behind it. "Stay back." He said. "I've got this."

"He won't even use the book?" Carmen thought.

"Experiment number 614! But I prefer Gunner…I've killed 656 people…" He growled, grinning evilly at the thieves. "Mostly fools like YOU!" He roared, rushing forward.

They quickly fired at him, but he was amazingly fast! It was like trying to target a kangaroo that kept hopping around! Before one thief knew it, he was struck across the face and sent flying into another, and then a quick roundabout kick sent another thief flying into the wall. Grinning again, Gunner rushed forward and did a double punch that struck one thief square in the stomach. He immediately fell down and Gunner grinned.

"Is that ALL you s—theads got?!" He laughed.

But then he heard a ca-click and saw one of the thieves had gotten behind the door shield and was aiming at Carmen and Adio! Carmen leapt up, slamming her fist into his face and knocking him away, but it diverted attention to THEM! Carmen gasped as they leveled their guns at her as she tried to protect Adio…

THWOOOM!

Gunner raced in front of them, arms outstretched, back turned to the guns as they emptied their clips into him. He splurted out blood from his mouth that dripped down slowly like sick rain…

Gunner gasped and then grit his teeth even as the blood stained them. "Carmen…step…back…" He muttered, turning around and wiping his bloodied mouth.

Adio quickly opened the book. "**Guarire!**" He announced.

A soothing yellow light bathed over Gunner…and the bullets popped out of his body, falling to the floor, the blood slowly caking and dissolving into nothingness. "B--tards." Gunner snarled, rushing forward, kicking one thief up at a 90 degree angle and snapping his neck instantly.

"QUUUUEEEE?" Carmen gasped.

"His spell is one of healing." Adio explained. "No matter how badly he's hurt, once that spell's cast, he's instantly returned to normal!"

THUDDA-WOMP! Another thief was sent packing, his head completely twisted around by a good punch. Gunner grinned. "Is that the best you've got, you losers?!" He shouted.

"He doesn't have any strong offensive powers in the book." Adio said, nodding at Carmen. "But he's got guts…and a weakling who has to hide behind a gun can't hold a candle to somebody like him!"

"Oh REALLY?"

CA-CLICK!

Almost all of the thieves had been downed…but there was one who was too close…too close…and he now had a gun pointed at Adio's head.

"Make him stop…now…" The man snarled.

Carmen and Adio turned around, a single thought going through their heads: They were so SCREWED!

Gunner turned and looked in horror at Adio. "You…you…"

"Now then…hands above your head." The man said. "You!" He shouted, addressing the last thief standing. "Tie the freakish dog thing up!"

His associate nodded and grabbed some chains, going to tie Gunner up. But then Adio suddenly gained a second wind and shouted!

"GUNNY, YOU IDIOT! Stop being a coward! Your job is to protect the statue! If you don't do your job, ti prendo a calci in culo!" He threatened.

"You…you dumb old fogey…" Gunner whispered softly. "You're…you're not in the position to say stuff like that…"

"Are you so inexperienced that you can't even handle a situation like THIS!?!" Adio yelled, shaking his fist. "BE A MAN, NOT A DOG!"

"I…I…" Gunner hung his head. "I can't bet on his life…"

"**CANTANCION!**"

A pulsing blast of energy that rung through the air like bells shot the man with the gun through the air, and the last thief gasped as a little girl holding onto a pink book appeared, panting heavily.

"Took me FOREVER to bike here!" Jenny said, wiping her brow. "But at least I got to blast ONE bad guy!"

"There's ONE…MORE…LEFT…" Gunner said, grinning evilly at the last guy, who gulped in fear.

"Where's the statue, evildoer!" Jenny demanded, pointing at the sky in a dramatic tone. "If you don't talk, Carmen will dance-all-over-you!"

…

…

…

…and so, with Gunner driving a rent-a-car back to the library, Jenny, Adio and Carmen chatted it up as the Athena statue, in it's metal case, stood to their right.

"Boy I'm glad we keep meeting interesting people!" Jenny said. "You're really cool, Mr. DiBicarri!" She laughed. "Thanks for letting us ride with you!"

"I owe my life to you, Carmen. You're a lot more responsible than Gunny here!"

"Grr…" Gunner gripped the steering wheel more tightly, annoyed.

"Could I see the "Athena", por favor?" Carmen asked, holding her paws together, eyes going all "Bambi" on Adio.

"Of course!" Adio said, unlocking the box and opening it up for them to see. "Take a look!"

"Oooooooh!" Jenny said, eyes wide. The statue was smoothly carved, the goddess looking stern, but beautiful…like a mother figure. There was a subtle gentleness hidden in her eyes, and she wore a helmet, an owl on her shoulder, and a cloaked robe. You could count the little curls that made up her long hair…

"Ees…how you Italians say…molto bene!" Carmen spoke up, eyes going sparkly like Jenny's.

"Ha-ha-ha!" Adio laughed. "See? They appreciate it, Gunny! You could learn a thing or two from Carmen!" He said, putting the statue back inside the metallic cas.e

"I told you, stop calling me that!" Gunner said, turning his head.

"AAA!" Jenny screamed. Gunner turned his head back just in time to see that the large trailer of gas in front of them had lost a tire and was slowing down…swerving! Gunner turned the wheel with all his might…

SHA-SLAM!

Their car hit the trailer's, but…they were all unharmed. They breathed a sigh of relief…

Then Gunner and Carmen and their partners heard the unmistakable "cra-crick" that told them that the freight that the gas trailer was carrying was about to fall on their car!

"Run awaaaay!" Jenny shouted, clambering out the door with Carmen right with her. Gunner had taken off his seat belt and was about to run out when he realized that the statue was still inside the car!

He grit his teeth…

And right before their eyes jumped on top of the car, holding the freight up and keeping it from falling on the car. "RRRRRAAAAAUUUUGGGHHH!" He screamed.

"GUNNER!" Adio gasped in horror.

"BLAST…THE…TANK!" He shouted.

"But the statue…" Jenny said.

"IT'LL…BE…FINE…" Gunner gritted out as the tanker continued to press down on him.

"But your BOOK's still inside!" Carmen shouted, eyes with sorrow.

"Yeah, if she shoot, the tank'll explode and-" Jenny muttered, shaking madly.

"…don't…care…" Gunner whispered. "Just…doing…my…job…shoot…" He muttered, hanging his head.

"But…but…" Jenny mumbled.

"Incluso si no en ese fuego petrolero, que va morir!" Carmen muttered. "We gotta…"

"SHOOOOOT!" Gunner screamed.

Sobbing, Jenny opened up her book. "**CANTANCION!!!**"

THA-WHOOOOOM!

…

…

…

… "Here…" Gunner said, bringing the statue, still inside it's metal case, back over. "My book's burning up…but I don't give a flying f—k." He said, grinning happily. "The statue's safe…ain't it?" He asked. "You know…"

He looked up at the sky as his body began to dissolve into yellow light. "You were right…the art moved me!" He laughed. "The movin' was unorthodox, but it moved me all the same. You'd better take damn good care of the statue, ya old fogey…"

"Heh…always trying too hard…" Adio said, quickly walking over to the burning book. He placed his hand on it as it let out a final glow. "**GUARIRE!**" He shouted, even as his hand was burnt by the flames.

THA-WHOOM!

Gunner was bathed in the beautiful yellow light as his wounds were healed. He blinked in surprise. "A…Adio…"

"Good job Gunner." Adio told him, smiling at him.

"You…didn't…call me Gunny…" Gunner said softly, tears streaming down his furry brown cheeks as he fell to his knees.

"You're not a dog anymore. You're a man." Adio said, putting his hand on Gunner's shoulders.

"…don't…get it." Gunner mumbled, even as his body shook with sobs. "I can't be the champ…I was lookin' forward to more fights…but I've never felt so happy…guess that's because I…I finally DID somethin' with my life…right…ya…old…fogey?" He said, wiping his eyes.

"Right…now you go back home…" Adio said as tears welled up in his eyes. "You can return home with PRIDE, soldier…"

"Gunner…" Carmen whispered.

"G-G…G-G…Gunner…" Jenny sobbed.

"Thanks…" Gunner said softly just before he vanished into nothingness, returning home. Adio wiped his eyes and smiled sadly.

"No…thank YOU…" Adio said softly to the sky.

_"…son…"_


	31. No More Cry!

**CHAPTER-THIRTY-ONE  
****これ以上泣く！ビッグシスターあなたのためを見ている！****  
No More Cry! Big Sister's Looking Out For You!**

Her ears hung low as she began to cry, tears slipping down one at a time. The rain splashed hard against her head.

Why…why wouldn't anybody help her? She was so lost…

Sobbing, she lowered her head again and cried, sinking to the wet sidewalk below as the rain continued to fall. She knew she wasn't human, but was that really any reason for them to ignore her?

Please, she thought. Please, somebody…help me…it's so cold out here…

Then she felt a warm pair of hands kneel down, and somebody brushed her tears away.

"Sniff-sniff…"

"Are you alright?" The girl with the red hair asked her, looking at her with utter concern behind her blue-rimmed glasses. "What are you doing out here, little doggy?"

The dog whimpered softly, wearing a small pack on it's back, tears still lingering in it's eyes, mixing with the rain that was slowly pouring down her body. The girl picked the dog up and gently rocked her back in forth in her raincoat-protected arms. "Don't worry, I'll take you home and get you all cleaned up!" She told Yapper happily.

…

…

…

…Myrtle Edmonds put the little dog down on the ground and put her raincoat away, turning back to the Shi-Tzu. "First thing's first…you need to get something to eat…and then I'll help you take a nice, warm bath! How would you like that?"

The dog nervously pawed the ground, as if unsure of what to do. Myrtle just smiled and looked around, rubbing her chin. "Now where did I put that leftover chicken?...oh, right! In my room's refrigerator!"

She headed off down a hallway while the dog looked up at the refrigerator in the kitchen. She blinked at the notes that were written on "post it" pads.

"Dear Myrtle…

Going to be away at a real estate venture in Europe for a month. Money for food and incidentals is on your dresser. Dad."

"Dear Myrtle…

Your father got into an accident at the real estate venture. I've got to cut my vacation short to go take care of him. We'll have to go camping some other time. Mom."

And another one!

"Don't forget you've got school today. Sorry I couldn't wait for you and make you breakfast, the school board needed me teaching in another region today. Mom."

"Might be late getting back this time, but I'll try and hurry up with this client in Japan. Dad."

The dog frowned. There were FAR too many notes and excuses on that fridge. Were the parents EVER home!?

"Here we go!" Myrtle said, coming in with some leftover chicken. She quickly removed it from the bones, then heated it up, adding a tiny bit of store-bought gravy to it. The dog happily gobbled it down, then smiled up at Myrtle, leaping up onto her lap and licking her cheeks.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Thanks, girl!" Myrtle said, blushing. "Now, you should take a bath! I'll get the water started!"

The dog "yipped" happily and followed after Myrtle as Myrtle walked back into the hallway, going up the stairs to the bathroom at the second floor of her house. She started up the water in the blue-painted walls of the bathroom, then turned to the dog.

"You need a name." Myrtle told the dog. "I can't just call you "girl"." She looked the dog over and examined the pack, getting a light brown book out that was a similar color to the dog. "Hmm…oh, what this?"

A collar! It said "Gigi" on it.

"Oh, your name is Gigi?"

Gigi barked an "affirmative" as best she could and Myrtle smiled. "Gigi is a GREAT name. I'm Mildred Pearl Edmonds, but everyone calls me Myrtle. I'm gonna be your owner!" She put Gigi in the bath and began to carefully wash her as Gigi watched a bubble from the bathwater rise up before her snout. "We're gonna be BEST friends!"

…

…

…

… "Ugh…where IS she?"

Nightwing paced around the park, mumbling to himself. Where was Haley? She was supposed to come back from the grocery store an hour ago! He didn't like staying in Hawaii too long…he felt nervous knowing that his rivals were here. He believed he could beat them, but to be honest, he wasn't interested in fighting. He wanted to see more of this world.

The creatures of this world could get just as weird as some of the things Jumba ever made too. Horses, squids, cats, mice, lemurs, monkeys, kangaroos…how strange, how weird…

And he hadn't even seen a TENTH of the magical creatures of this world, the ones that Haley protected as a dragon. He liked scaring leprechauns, watching unicorns run along the plains, spooking fairies…

And then there were the HUMANS.

They were so odd sometimes. He just didn't understand…there were so few races that preached pacifism as much as humanity did. Why would humans not FIGHT for their ideals? Why would they willingly submit their lives instead of fighting to the death? Why would they stand in front of tanks instead of getting guns, burn themselves instead of throwing bricks? It just made no sense.

If you wanted anything done, anything WORTHWHILE, you had to FIGHT for it! That was the way of things!

Then he noticed a dog was playing with a ball, bouncing it up and down in the air as she lay on her back. He blinked. She smelled strongly of fancy shampoo, some kind of doggy perfume and there was a hint of cherry conditioner…and she'd been brushed and combed quite well. In short, she looked prim and pretty!

"What an odd thing." He thought out loud.

The dog looked at him, eyes widening. Then it scampered off with the ball in it's mouth, hiding behind a tree and trembling.

"What? You think I'm going to EAT you?" Nightwing asked, raising an eyebrow. "I COULD, naturally, but you'd taste awful with all that perfume you put on you!"

The dog blinked a few times, and then turned around, hearing her owner call out. "Gigi!"

Nightwing watched as "Gigi" was lifted into the air and twirled around by a red-haired girl. "There you are! I missed you!" She put her nose to Gigi's nose and "snuggled it". "Come on, let's go home and I'll make you some candy! But no chocolate, that's very bad for dogs!"

Nightwing watched as the girl held Gigi in her arms and carried her off. He blinked a few times.

There was something about that dog…

…

…

…

…Myrtle watched Gigi slumbering happily in a little plushy red bed that Myrtle had ordered from an online store using one of her credit cards. Nothing but the best for Gigi!

The red-head nervously rubbed her neck. There hadn't been any search papers issued out saying that somebody had lost a dog and it had been a month. So…

Gigi could be hers for real! She just had to go down to the Adoption Agency in town to fill out the proper papers that were required for gaining custody of strays, and then she could look after Gigi without worrying if somebody would take her away…

Yes, she'd protect Gigi and look after her. She'd-

Myrtle blinked…she could FEEL it…a wave of some kind of great power coming from that little pack of Gigi's. It was located near a chair. Confused, Myrtle opened up the pack, taking out the book…which was glowing!

And oddly enough, there were strange words in the book. "This is so WEIRD." Myrtle said. "As weird as "Weird-Lo" and that kid Nick the-huh? I…" She gulped. "I know what this word means! It's so WEIRD though…is it some kinda foreign language? German maybe?" She looked it over as Gigi's eyes opened up…

And she saw her owner looking at the book, which was glowing.

NO, she thought. NO-

"Chi…Chien?" Myrtle read out.

THA-WHOOOOM!

There was a terrible howl that echoed through the night…

…

…

…

…Haley sighed and flopped down onto the hotel bed. She looked over at her partner and folded her arms as he emerged from the bath, drying himself off.

"Are you finished griping now?"

"I HATE taking baths." He muttered. "You make me do it on purpose just because you like to watch me, you perv!" He joked, grinning evilly.

"Yeah, you WISH." She sniggered. "You're not THAT cute, and you're too short!"

"I can CHANGE that!" He said softly, his grin extending. Then Haley flipped on the TV…

"And so 5 victims have been found with claw and fang marks all over their bodies, presumably due to a wild animal attack. The bite marks appear to be canine in appearance…

Haley and Nightwing looked at the TV in shock as the pictures were shown of the victims who were BARELY alive, then at each other.

"A lycanthrope?" Haley guessed.

"Possibly." Nightwing said, nodding. "In any case, leaving early will have to wait. We should find who's doing this…" He rubbed his hands. "It will be interesting to defeat them!"

…

…

…

…Myrtle shivered madly, holding herself as she looked at the television. Gigi was fast asleep on her bed and unable to hear or SEE the TV, but Myrtle could see the pictures all too well.

"What's happening?" She wondered out loud. "What's going on? Please…somebody help me…" She whispered, holding her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Help Gigi…I'm so scared…"

…

…

…

…Nightwing and Haley were examining the scene of the crime. The police had left it several hours ago and it was still cordoned off, but that didn't stop the two dragons. Nightwing smelt the air, trying to get the scent of the people who had last been here, while Haley examined the slash marks that had been embedded in the ground.

"Hmm…" She knelt by it and carefully looked it over. "Definitely canine in form, but…it's smaller than I expected. Too small to be a werewolf…" She thought out loud.

"Hmph." Nightwing frowned. "The smell is that of "wet dog"." He told Haley. "It WAS sprinkling last night…even that can't disguise the remnants of the scent of blood that lingers around this place."

"So what kind of DOG could have done this?" Haley wondered. "Unless…maybe it wasn't a dog…"

Nightwing blinked. "An experiment?" He suggested.

"That's what I'm thinking." Haley admitted, nodding her head and brushing some hair back.

Nightwing nodded as he and Haley headed down the sidewalk. "If only I could get a good SCENT of the thing that did this." He said softly. "If the PARTNER was here, ordering the experiment to attack…then it's not just a wild attack but premeditated attempted murder…"

"You can't smell the partner out either?" Haley asked.

The dark dragon shook his head in a sad fashion. "I'm afraid I can't tell who it was…there are too many human scents around here. I can't pick out the partner."

Meanwhile, Myrtle was playing fetch with Gigi in the park, throwing a tennis ball back and forth. She was all smiles on the outside, true, but inside she was worried.

"As long as I don't read that book, it'll be fine." She thought to herself. "Yeah…I just can't read that book…"

She'd read the spell by accident. And that night, Gigi had changed. Her eyes had gone wide, her body quivering as her claws had extended, her fur becoming bristly and charged as her fangs almost shot out of her jaw. She let out a horrid howl and had rushed out the window, breaking it into a million little pieces much to Myrtle's horror.

Myrtle had been rooted to the spot, almost peeing her pants…but something inside her had URGED her to go AFTER her! This was her DOG, that was GIGI! She couldn't just let her run off!

She ran for it as fast as she could, desperate to follow after Myrtle, and she'd found Gigi in the middle of a pile of people who were all unconscious, blood oozing down like sauce from a broken bottle.

At least, she HOPED they were unconscious.

Gigi turned her eyes to look at her and spoke with a voice that was half guttural growl, half banshee howl. "Who…are…YOU…?"

Myrtle assumed that whatever the book had done, it had not only turned her into a monster that could kill, but could TALK as well. But Gigi talking wasn't what surprised her. Gigi looking at her with eyes that did not recognize her kind owner was what surprised and frightened her.

"Gigi, it's ME…Myrtle…" She said, her body shaking with fear, knees almost knocking together.

Gigi then saw that Myrtle was holding onto the book for dear life…HER book!

"So you're…the owner of…the book." Gigi growled out.

"Gigi, that…that can't be YOU…can it?" Myrtle asked.

"Yes…I'm experiment…007…they all called me "Yapper"…laughed at my weakness…in this form…I'm STRONG…STRONG…go on!" She urged, grinning with her fangs, facing Myrtle head on. "More spells! I wanna cut and cut and cut!"

"Don't say weird stuff like that, Gigi!" Myrtle shouted. "Go back to normal"

"You-you aren't…reading the book?" Gigi asked, her body beginning to settle, the claws retracting, her fur returning to it's normal, smooth complexion. She was going back to being a dog again! "Why won't you…READ? Are you…"

The dog grinned evilly just before her fangs shrunk and Gigi was knocked unconscious by the de-transformation. "You can't escape this fight…I AM YOUR FATE!"

Gigi barked, forcing Myrtle back into the present. The dog looked up at her, a questioning expression on her face. She looked so concerned.

"It-it's nothing, Gigi!" Myrtle said. "Here, catch!"

Unfortunately Myrtle misjudged how hard she'd tossed the ball. It accidentally bonked off Gigi's head, and the little dog blinked in surprise, moving backwards for a second…

And then it went out into the road…

And Gigi went right after it!

"GIGI, NO!" Myrtle screamed as she saw a truck approaching…too fast, too fast! It honked it's horn and Gigi turned around, eyes wide, her body freezing with fear…

There was only one way to save her.

"**CHIEN!**" Myrtle screamed, quickly holding up the book from her pack.

…

…

…

…Haley and Nightwing turned their heads, hearing a screech of tires and a loud CRASH. Their eyes went wide.

"Could it be?" Haley wondered. "In broad daylight?"

"It might just be a traffic accident, let's just go and-"

"We've got to help if it IS an accident, come on!" Haley said, running off.

Shrugging, Nightwing ran after her and they raced to the scene, finding…

A horrid-looking dog with sharp fangs and claws, hair rushing up around it like flames was sneering and rushing after a pack of nearby people who were trying to run for their lives. It's eyes lusted for blood…

"Nightwing, stop it!" Haley shouted, opening her spell book. "**ATER!**" She read from her book.

Nightwing raised a clawed hand and a blast of dark energy shot out, sailing through the air and knocking the dog to the ground. Haley saw a girl rush up to her, a red-head with glasses…

"Gigi, are you okay?" Myrtle gasped.

"RRR…RRR…fine…Myrtle…fine…" Gigi said, standing up. Then she hit the ground again. "HURTS…so…much pain…"

Haley frowned angrily. "You're behind those attacks?! You scum!" She shouted. She held up her book, deciding to use an EXTRA strong attack to blow them away. "**ACERBUS!**"

Nightwing held both hands up as he summoned a ball of pulsing dark energy that swirled towards Gigi. In desperation, Myrtle did the only thing she could think of, and read another spell. She HAD to protect Gigi!

"**CHIEN!**" Myrtle screamed, tears coming to her eyes.

Before Nightwing could BLINK, the dog had leapt into the air, her claws getting even LONGER! Her limbs stretched out and she began to gain a more humanoid appearance…she slashed the dark energy ball in half and it dissipated. Then she rushed towards Haley and Nightwing…

"Tie her down!" Nightwing shouted.

"Right! **UMBRA!**"

Nightwing called forth dark chains that wrapped around Gigi, pinning her to the ground. He breathed a small sigh. "Phew. That was cutting it close…"

"DON'T HURT MY DOOOOGGG!" Myrtle screamed, tears streaming from her eyes. Suddenly she noticed her book was glowing even more brightly than before!

"Wh-what? Another word I can read?"

Gigi turned her head as best she could through the chains that held her to the ground. "Hurry! Read it!" She shouted.

"**GRAND-CHIEN!**" Myrtle yelled out. Before Haley and Nightwing's eyes, Gigi BURST through the chains and leapt backwards through the air. Then her mouth opened and a wild HOWL shot out from her mouth. A sonic wave blast that sent Haley and Nightwing flying through the air!

The two hit the grassy ground of the park and stumbled up. "There's such wildness in that attack!" Nightwing remarked.

"They're not going to beat you, Nightwing!" Haley insisted.

Suddenly Nightwing realized who the red-head was…it had been the girl from earlier…the one playing with that DOG…

That dog named Gigi…and this dog…it was also named Gigi?

Yet there was no way those two dogs could be the same person! This one was so wild, so ferocious, so…

Nightwing blinked in surprise at the sight of the now werewolf-like being that was standing by a sobbing Myrtle…and he realized that Gigi…was crying too.

"Why are they fighting and crying at the same time?" Nightwing asked softly, blinking slowly.

"Please…don't attack anymore!" Myrtle sobbed, covering her face with one hand. In desperation she read the book once more. "**CHIEN…**"

Gigi howled as her claws extended, and she rushed forward at Nightwing. Haley frowned and growled out "I'll take them both down with-"

"NO." Nightwing insisted. "We use no more spells!"

Haley turned and gasped as Nightwing leapt forward and grappled with Gigi, unwilling to move any farther. Gigi growled in his face.

"Why are you being so STUPID? Do you WANT to get killed!?" Haley shrieked at him as Gigi slashed him over and over.

"I can't…fight them!" He shouted. "Not an opponent like this!" He yelled.

"DON'T…F—K WITH ME!" Gigi snarled.

"MYRTLE!" Nightwing yelled. "Call off the attack! I WON'T fight Gigi anymore!"

Myrtle saw that he meant it…he refused to fight her. "Please!" She shouted. "I don't know how to stop her! I'll try not to use any spells, but please…please help me!" She begged.

Nightwing nodded and tried to hold Gigi in place. "Calm yourself!" He urged. "You're in a rage!"

"You little coward!" She snarled. "I'll…I'LL FINISH YOU!"

She shoved Nightwing down hard and leapt into the air, holding her claws up. "**I'LL FINISH YOOOUUU!!!**"

THA-WHAM!

Myrtle had forcibly GLOMPED her partner and was holding onto her tightly. "No…stop, Gigi…stop…"

Gigi and Myrtle stood there, both shaking as Myrtle clung to Gigi tightly, hugging her as hard as she could.

"Why…why won't my body move?" Gigi whispered "Why…"

And then, a few moments later, her body began to shrink…and soon a little Shih Tzu dog was in Myrtle's arms, breathing softly and snoozing away.

"Thank you." Myrtle said, getting on her knees and lowering Gigi to the ground as she stroked her. "You saved her."

Nightwing brushed some blood from his mouth as Haley walked over to them. "I'm just glad YOU'RE alright." He said.

Gigi's eyes opened. Her body shook slightly, and then she looked around. There were claw marks from the slashing attacks that her earlier assault had made, and the truck in the road was totaled. And Nightwing was standing there, blood dripping down.

"Oh no." Gigi muttered. "I did this…didn't I?" She asked.

Myrtle's eyes went wide. "You can TALK?" She asked. "I thought it was just because of that…that THING…"

"I'm not a dog…I'm…I'm an alien experiment…sent here by a scientist along with 100 others to see who's the greatest of them all." Gigi mumbled. "But…I can't…"

She quickly ran over to the book that Myrtle had discarded, then brought it back to Nightwing and Haley, putting it down on the ground with one paw. "Please burn my book!" She begged.

Nightwing frowned. "Why would you WANT to go back to the lab? Why don't you want to stay and fight?"

"You CAN'T go!" Myrtle begged. "I…I…"

"I know how you feel…" Gigi said quietly. "But…I can guess what happened…I was in danger and you did the only thing you could think of. That same situation could happen again too easily. Please…" She looked down. "I didn't WANT to fight. I told Jumba that. I was so hurt about being called weak, but I hated fighting…"

Nightwing crossed his arms, frowning. He didn't like where this was-

"I refused to fight, so he gave me another personality that he said would manifest with the spells…" Gigi mumbled. "He does this to those who oppose him…alter them…CHANGE them…sometimes very badly…"

Haley's eyes went wide. Myrtle gasped. Nightwing's eyes clouded over.

"I…I can't burn your book." Haley said. "You're a good person! You could stay here with Myrtle and be her family! And if you came with us, we could protect you from people that would hurt you!"

"You…can't protect me from EVERYTHING…what…" Gigi sniffled. "What if a tree falls down towards me, or a car comes at me, or something like that?" She bit her lip. "Please…just burn my book…"

Nightwing grit his teeth. He felt heat burning through his body, threatening to blow him apart…

FWOOM.

Before anybody could do anything, he'd launched an ember from his mouth and it struck the book, which began to catch alight. Haley turned on him. "Why would you DO that?!" She shouted. "Why…why…"

Then she saw Heartwing had his knees on the ground and tears were streaming like little crystals down his cheeks to plop onto the grass.

"You're…you're such a good girl…" He told Gigi. "You're brave…even though you want to stay with Myrtle, you know you'll hurt others if you do…you're fighting the fate that's forced on you through your pacifism…I…I…"

He looked up at Gigi and held her paw. "I pity you so much…"

"Thank you…you're very kind…" Gigi said.

"No! NO!" Myrtle saw that Gigi was turning into tiny dots of light and held her close. "Don't go! Please! Nobody's ever been so close to me…and you can TALK…there's so much I want to talk to you about…so much we can do! Please don't leave me!" Myrtle begged tearfully.

Gigi licked Myrtle's face and Myrtle blinked as her glasses fell to the grass. Yet she could still see Gigi so clearly…

"I won't ever leave you. Not anymore." Gigi told her. "Because you've been the bestest friend I've ever had!" She squeaked, nuzzling into Myrtle's chest as Myrtle cried silently.

Haley fought back tears and looked to the side, unable to say anything. She clenched her fist as Nightwing wiped his tears away and looked at Gigi, who stared into his eyes.

"I wish that…somebody could convince Jumba this fight was wrong…that what he does to us is wrong…" Gigi whispered.

"…Gigi…when I get back…" He began softly.

Gigi tilted her head to the side as Nightwing clenched his fist. "You have my PROMISE!" He shouted. "I'll make sure Jumba never forces a change on an experiment EVER AGAIN! **I PROMISE YOU, GIGI!**"

"…thank…you…" Gigi said just before her body finally faded away, leaving the threesome alone in the park as the wind blew chillingly at their bodies.

**Author's Note:**

**Yes, this is kind of a sad chapter. But I hope you liked it all the same. Review! **


	32. A Strange Mystery!

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO**

**奇妙なミステリー！ニックグレイ：刑事？**

**A Strange Mystery! Nick Grey: Criminal?**

**---------------------------------------------**

Lilo headed towards the school, backpack slung over one shoulder as she continued to walk down the sidewalk. It was time for another boring school day. What would the teacher make them learn THIS time?

She sometimes wished she'd deliberately flunked the placement test. Then she wouldn't have to put up with that inhumane teacher! He'd forced them to make clay ninja mansions!

And of course, there had been last night's homework.

"What are you writing?"

"A poem for English Class."

"Haiku?"

"Seemed fastest."

Luckily the whole class had banded together and had insisted to the principal that he had been saying inappropriate things. He hadn't believed them…until he'd heard their teacher try to lead them in prayer.

With a resounding cry of "GOD HAS NO PLACE WITHIN THESE WALLS", Mr. Honikouule was teaching kindergarten before he knew it.

BRIIIING!

The bell for homeroom rang and Lilo sat down in her seat. She looked around at her classmates.

"Wow, you guys had an interesting vacation, huh?" She asked them all.

Yuki, Teresa and Elena nodded. "Mmm-hmm." Yuki admitted.

"Poor Myrtle hasn't come to school though." Teresa said softly, hanging her head slightly.

"She's been crying almost nonstop since her dog went away." Elena told Lilo. "Says she'll miss Gigi forever!"

Lilo blinked. Was this the same Myrtle they were talking about? The Myrtle who was so mean and spiteful? Crying almost nonstop about a dog?

"And Nick's changed too." Elena said, pointing at Nick.

The kid had little band-aids all over his hands and looked very…preoccupied. He was looking at a notebook and scribbling some stuff down, mumbling something.

"Nick, are you alright?" Lilo asked.

Nick looked up. "Oh! Lilo! Hi!" He immediately blushed. It was no small secret in the school that he was nervous around girls. Lilo suspected he liked her…as in like-like.

The bell rang. It was time for first period. Their teacher faced the board and began to write up today's lesson. It was to be on "Latin".

"Now then, I'm sure you've all read enough "Harry Potter" to know that Latin has made a comeback. In fact, lawyers use it to screw you, politicians use it to hide their tracks whilst robbing you blind in taxes, priests use it to weasel their way out when they're caught playing hide-the-sausage with the altar boys and garden supply stores use it to describe an overpriced green plant that sounds fancy but will become a leafless clump of dry, brown twigs in one week flat…" Mr. White told them. He was a very charming and smart man who was also an albino, complete with pink eyes and white hair, though his skin wasn't quite as light as most.

"But enough with that! Now for some-er…Mr. Grey? NICK!?"

Nick woke up, head shooting upwards. "OH! Uh…sorry, sorry…" He blinked. "I've been…busy…"

White frowned. Then he shrugged. "Ehhh…whatever. Moving along!"

The lesson continued. But Lilo was worried. "Busy", huh…

…

…

…

… "Now let's do a little quick check. What is the word for "flat black"?"

"Niger?"

"No, no, that's "glossy black". Ater, remember, ater. Now for adjectives. What does it mean to "strike" or "wound" somebody? What's that word?" White asked.

"Er, Iadeo?"

"LADEO. Close. LADEO. I'll admit that the "I's" and "L's" look a lot alike, though "adeo" means to move, or attack, or go forwards, Iadeo could mean "I"-Nick, are you alright?"

Nick was holding his head. "Sorry, I'm just…dizzy…I've been working hard lately…"

Lilo saw him raise his arm up and rub his head…revealing some wounds on his ARM too.

What if…what if he'd REALLY changed over that vacation?

Soon the last bell had rung. Lilo had gathered her things and was heading home. But before she could leave…

"Hey, wait!"

Lilo turned around to come face to face with Miriam. "Miriam? What's wrong?"

"Have you seen Nick?" Miriam asked, brushing some hair aside. "He's not around…"

"Didn't he go home?" Lilo asked.

"Yeah, but there's the fan club meeting today. He's never missed a writing session before." Miriam insisted. "Something's up with him!"

"He WAS spaced out today." Lilo admitted, nodding her head. "I know he's always kind of a dreamer, he makes it clear in the class discussions and all those papers he writes. But today he seemed to be really off in the clouds."

"He's turned into some kind of cloud cuckoolander." Miriam said, rubbing her chin. "You don't think he changed TOO much during the vacation break, do you?"

Lilo blinked, then put her hands on her hips, one eyebrow held up. "Well what do you think he'd change into?"

"You don't think he'd…well, become one of those kids who change into delinquents over the summer?" Miriam suggested, holding a finger up.

Lilo rubbed her head. "IIIII dunno…" She admitted. "That idea sounds a little batty, Miriam. I think, more likely, he just goofed off. I mean, I saw him in town five days ago, going to pick up groceries, and he seemed perfectly normal then! No bruises on his hands or anything…"

…

…

…

…he was probably just scatter-brained due to coming back from school. His brain just hadn't gotten used to the flow yet. He'd be back to normal soon enough, Lilo thought. Still…those wounds…

Could he REALLY have gotten into a fight of some kind?

Lilo suddenly noticed Nick out of her peripheral vision. She looked to the left, then to the right, then decided to follow after him.

Carefully Lilo snuck after him like a super-spy, hiding behind corners, inching around to look. Street after street she followed him…and soon she realized that Nick was not only going in the opposite direction of his house, but the opposite direction of TOWN as well. This made no sense!

What on EARTH was he up to?

Perhaps…

No, it couldn't be, Lilo thought. He couldn't be an experiment-owner. Not Nick. He wasn't the kind to get into rough and rowdy fights, was he?

Then she noticed that there was a faint sound in her ears. She concentrated on it, closing her eyes…and she realized it was running water…a river, and Nick was heading right for it. She followed after him, going through a forest and seeing…

He was there with a boy with brown hair and dark blue eyes, holding up a large, rounded rock. This boy was about 9 years old, from the looks of it…

"Hoo…hoo…hoo…" They were both panting.

"Alright…this one's large enough for the base." Nick said.

"Let's put it here, then." The boy said.

FWOOMP!

They put the rock down and Lilo saw their were scuff marks and cuts all over their hands from lifting the rock, with band-aids on BOTH their hands. Eyes widening, Lilo saw what was near them…

Two statues made of rounded rocks had been formed, towering up into the air. They were facing each other. One was shorter than the other one, and had a face of a boy…the boy that Nick was helping…drawn on it. The other was of a woman's face.

Nick knelt down to another big, rounded rock and drew a man's face on it with a big, black marker. "Thanks for helping me again." The boy told Nick. "I couldn't have done this withoutcha!"

"It's no biggie! So your grandpa taught you how to do this?" Nick asked.

"Yep!" The boy said. "He told me that if you pile up your rocks and make a wish, it comes true! I made a wish and got the surfboard I always wanted, and now I'm gonna pile up these rocks…and my family will get back together!"

The boy and Nick helped put the rocks that were on the ground up on the pedestal rock. "They might…ergh…be living in…separate…RRR…places right now…but if this wish…arg…works…then my life will be back ta normal!"

"We've worked hard on this. Especially you, Christopher!" Nick insisted. "I'm just glad I could help!"

Lilo blinked as she watched them try to balance the last rock, the "head" on top of the pile.

"_He probably just met this kid recently and was so focused on helping him that he wasn't paying attention to anything else…"_ Lilo realized in her head. _"He…"_

She smiled. _"He really DOES have a good heart…"_

…

…

…

…it had been several days after White's class on Latin. Now it was time for another lesson.

"So you'll be at the meeting today?" Miriam asked.

"Yep!" Nick said, nodding.

"Glad to see you're back…now if only MYRTLE would cheer up." Victoria said.

"Yeaaaaah." Her posse mumbled out at the same time.

Nick smiled and walked to his desk. But before he could sit down, Lilo spoke up to him. "Aloha Nick! Did it turn out okay?"

Nick blinked…then smiled, understanding what she was asking him.

"Yep!" He said happily, giving her a thumbs up. "They've decided to give it another try!" He told her. "A victory for love and hard work!" He proclaimed, half to her, half to himself.

"…I'm glad." Lilo said, a warm smile spreading across her face as Nick sat down. Mr. White entered the class and the lesson began.

"_You're really something, aren't you, Nick?" _

**Shout out to MiriamTheBat from DA! And now...a preview! And don't forget to REVIEW!**

**Spud: I can't believe Morph's working for the CIRCUS now...**

**Morpholomew: What's the matter, kid?**

**???: Somebody keeps taking the cats and dogs off the street!**

**???: That's right, and who's gonna stop me? YOU!?**

**Morpholomew: I'm not...I'm NOT gonna be afraid of you!**

**Spud: Coward my hiney! My blobby buddy is gonna show his stuff on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	33. The Courage of a Coward

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE**

**勇気の腰抜け！あなたの弟のために戦う！**

**The Courage of a Coward! Fight for your brother!**

**--------------------------------------------------**

Some people deal with wanting to fulfill their dreams in rational ways, like reading some books on the subject or asking people how THEY did it, or perhaps forming a plan on how to get it done. For example, if you wanted to be a teacher and your grandma WAS a teacher, some grandmotherly advice would be swell!

But Morpholomew, ever since he'd seen the movie "Dumbo" with Spud, had had a HUGE desire to be in the circus. Yes, he'd seen "Dumbo", Spud had a large collection of movies which were "classic Disney stuff".

So therefore, being the excitable kind of thing he was, it wasn't TOO much of a surprise why he'd done what he did.

"Ladies and gentleman and children of all ages! I give you…the wonderful…spectacular…MAGICAL MORPHOLOMEW!"

Morpholomew waved to the crowd of onlookers who eagerly cheered him. He was wearing a slightly tight vest of light blue with studded little diamonds on it. Fake diamonds, naturally, but they twinkled just like real ones and made him feel like a movie star.

He approached the center of the circus tent as confetti fell down around him in the big top of the Berry Big Circus! Now it was time for some fantastical ball riding!

"You practiced, right?" The ringleader of the circus had asked him just before he'd gone out to announce Morpholomew's entrance.

"Yeah, because you really, REALLY scare me!" He told Mr. Berry, nodding. The drums began to pound as Morpholomew jumped on top and-

BA-WHOOOOMP!

The ball bounced three dozen feet into the air while Morpholomew fell flat on his face. He stood up and a HUGE bruise popped up, growing to the size of a watermelon. Naturally, everyone found this little gaffe from the red clown to be funny.

"Hey, I did my be-" Morpholomew began.

BA-WHAM!

The ball came back down on him. "OW…" He mumbled.

His next attempt was juggling. Specifically, he transformed into various objects that were juggled around! It felt VERY weird, but the crowd went nuts, LOVING it all. After that, he had to deal with the animals, riding atop elephants, hippos, lions…

Well, er…the lions kind of didn't like him. He was chased around the ring by one that nipped at his heels whilst everyone cheered him on to get on top of it. At last he jumped backwards and landed RIGHT on the middle…

And the lion sat down, tamed. Morpholomew let out a sigh of relief as everyone cheered for him.

Then he remembered the NEXT act. He was going to be thrown from acrobat to acrobat in midair!

Oh boy!

…

…

…

… "I'm just glad I didn't wet myself." Morpholomew thought out loud in his room. "The circus is a lot harder than I thought it would be…"

"That's alright!"

Mr. Berry, a man with a big, curled blond moustache walked in and patted him on the head. "The people enjoyed your performance today. Just keep doing your best."

"Y-Yes sir!" Morpholomew insisted.

"Now you can go outside and play." Mr. Berry told him. "Go have some fun!"

Morpholomew headed for a nearby flower field, and decided to lay back in it, enjoying the clouds as they passed overhead.

"Ahh…" He said, sighing happily. "That one looks like a clown! THAT one, that one looks like a lollipop! Ooh, and that one looks like Meryl S-"

Then he heard "woosh" noises and looked up, turning his head. There was a kid with a backwards cap and light green jacket playing around with a fake wooden katana. He was talking to himself. "Ha! Samurai CHOP! Samurai SLASH! Hoo-hah!"

Morpholomew's eyes went wide. "Wow!" He said out loud.

The kid looked at him, blinking.

"You're so…COOL! Please be my friend!" Morpholomew asked, going up to him.

"…uh…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, you're wondering about the outfit, right?" Morpholomew asked. In actuality, the kid was intrigued by Morpholomew's blobby appearance. "You see, I'm a clown of Big Berry Circus…but I stink at my tricks. Still, even when I mess up, everyone likes it…even the ringleader!"

He quickly ran over to a nearby patch of dirt and picked some pebbles up. "Look, I'll try to juggle!"

Unfortunately he didn't even last a minute. And then a rock bonked him on the head. "OW!" Morpholomew held his sore head, moaning. "See?...couldn't do it!"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" The kid laughed, holding his cap over his eyes. Then he took it off. "You're funny when you fail, but you know…you'd probably look really great when you succeed!"

"…" Morpholomew blinked in awe. Then he spoke up, pointing at the sky. "THAT'S IT! You…are gonna be my brother!" He said dramatically.

"Ooh, just like Steel Samurai Episode 23, "Brother Of Mine"? Cool!" The kid said. A warm, blissful feeling rose up in him. "I'm…I'm Cody Hackins. Nice to meet you!" He said, getting on one knee and shaking Morpholomew's hand. "How about I show you to my house?" He asked the little blob.

…

…

…

… "WOWWWW!" Morpholomew said. "Look at all these cats!"

Morpholomew was led to a pretty home that had large windows and a very big backyard. It was painted a beautiful and peaceful shade of blue, with red windows, and all around it were cats and kittens! A woman with grey hair and a slightly stern expression on her face was in the front doorway, looking around.

"Cody, where are you? Oh! There you are!" She called out.

She welcomed Cody and Morpholomew inside. "Who's your friend?" She asked Cody.

"This is Morpholomew!" Cody said.

"Hi!" Morpholomew said. "Nice to meetcha, miss…um…"

"Oldbag. Wendy Oldbag. I'm Cody's nanny. Nice to meet you too. Now back in my day…" She raised a finger. "I used to call my mother "sir" and my mother "miss", did you know that and I swear I never disrespected them because back than they KNEW what it meant to really discipline kids you need to discipline kids properly or they're gonna grow up to be punks like those kids on the street corners you see in flicks who are blasting heavy metal and-"

"WENDY! You're doing it again." Cody said.

"Oops! Sorry. I have a tendency to get off on a tangent. Old memories just come up, you know." Wendy apologized.

"Hey there, Calico!" Cody said, holding a cute little kitten up and smelling it. "Woo! You need a bath! Bathy time!"

"So you and Cody live alone? And you take care of these cats all by yourselves?" Morpholomew asked as Cody brought the kitten to the bathroom. Wendy got a "Kool-Aid" out of the fridge for Morpholomew to drink while she sipped some tea. "Where's Cody's parents?" He asked, raising the Kool-Aid to his lips.

"Oh, they died some time ago." She said quietly.

Morpholomew almost spat out the Kool-Aid. "Wh-WHAT?"

"You see me and the cats are the only family he's got. He takes them in off the streets, finds those that want to give them up for adoption and takes care of them here. He's got two big loves: Steel Samurai and these cats." Wendy explained.

"…" Morpholomew was quiet for a few moments. But now he understood why Cody had been so enthusiastic about having a brother. It was something really important for him…

…

…

…

… "This is how they say it in Japan!"

Everyone clapped their hands together and said "Itadakimatsu" at the same time. Well, Morpholomew pronounced it wrong, but it was the GESTURE that counted.

But before he could get into eating the meal of beef and broccoli that Wendy had made, he noticed a newspaper was to his right, left upon the table. He looked at a front-page article…attacks on animal shelters? Adoption Agencies? What on earth?

"Yes, there's been a great deal of attacks levied at different organizations centered on collecting animals." Wendy told Morpholomew. "People are getting scared. I'm worried they might come here next…"

Morpholomew saw that Cody wasn't eating too much…his mind was obviously on the attacks. What if they came after his cats?

Morpholomew raised a little fist in the air. "Don't you worry! I will protect them! Because I am Cody's brother!"

Cody blinked…and then smiled happily, hugging Morpholomew tightly. "Thank you." He said gently.

Then…

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

The sound of crying cats could be heard, along with cruel laughter.

"Look at all these little fur balls! Perfect, huh?"

"Yessss…perrrrfect…"

"They're HERE?!" Cody gasped.

"Don't you worry, I'll drive them off!" Morpholomew said, hopping from his seat and running out the door, waving his stubby little hands in the air. "HEY! Leave those cats alone or face the consequences!" He shouted.

"_Yeah, I'm gonna kick frickin' a! I can do anything if it'll cheer my brother…"_

Then he realized who was there, stealing the cats. It wasn't just a human with dirty brown hair who had it slicked up at two ends. She had a nasty grin on her face and was wearing a pearl necklace and although she was spiteful-looking and thus ugly, she was very pretty…

ESPECIALLY if you compared her to the big, blue spider thing that was right next to her! It had wrapped as many cats as it could up in a bag made of webbing and was purple/blue in form. It had fangs sticking up from it's lower jaw and a vaguely mammalian head with a large nose. It had four red eyes and purple markings on it's back, and sharp-pronged ends on it's feet. There was a web insignia on the front of it's stomach and it had two arms with small, stubby hands. But when she saw Morpholomew she flexed the hands, and sharp claws sprang out.

Morpholomew gasped at this sight. "You're an experiment!" He realized.

"522…Tarantula." The female experiment spoke. Yes, female, she had breasts to match her furry blue body. "And who are YOU?!"

"I…I…"

What was he going to DO? This one seemed so…terrifying!

But Cody…

"Give back Cody's sheep!" Morpholomew shouted. "Or else I'll change my pitch up and smack you-"

"GRRRRRRRRAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHH!" Tarantula snarled, baring her fangs and letting out a harsh, guttural snarl.

"WAAAAAAA!!!!" Morpholomew shouted, falling on his butt. Cody and Wendy gulped at this as they watched from the window. This…wasn't good…

"Ha-ha-ha! Tarantula thinks humans taste disgusting so she's taken to eating animals. She ESPECIALLY like cats." The female partner said.

"They're all wrapped up, Komori." Tarantula said.

"STOP IT!" Morpholomew yelled, rushing forward. "I won't forgive you if you take that little boy's pets away!"

Komori frowned and stuck her high heel up, stopping the little red blob in place and sneering. "What can a weakling like YOU do to US?"

She then kicked Morpholomew back and he fell down, groaning as Tarantula sneered. "And if you try anything MORE, I'll eat you!" With that, she let Komori hop on her back, picked up the web-bag full of mewling and crying cats, and ran off.

Cody broke into tears and ran into the house with Wendy right behind. Morpholomew whimpered and covered his eyes. "Even when I try my best, it's not enough…Spud doesn't know what circus I joined, I can't use my powers, but…" He thought out loud. "I…I really wanted…I…"

He sobbed and fell to his knees. "I WANTED TO BE HIS BROTHER! I WANTED TO MAKE HIM PROUD! I…I…"

He stood up, even though tears still streamed down his cheeks. "Crying…ain't gonna do _anything_! I gotta go bring every single one of those cats back, along with Cody's smile! That's what a GOOD brother would do!"

"Well…"

Morpholomew turned around and saw Spud emerging from a tree. "Luckily for YOU, Mega-Spud-Man's right on top of it!" He grinned. "Saw where those creeps took off from and followed them ninja-style!" He said, making little "hoo-hah" poses. "They're hiding in a cave a couple miles from here! So…"

He held up the book. "Let's go get those cats…and your brother's smile…back!"

"You're really going?" Cody asked, approaching the two of them. "But…they're so scary…"

"But you're my brother." Morpholomew insisted. "I'm gonna get you your sheep! Just wait for the call!"

He grinned. "We'll be back before midnight!"

…

…

…

… "You again? Didn't you get enough LAST time?"

Guess who? Morpholomew and Spud had found the cave. The cats were tied to the walls in webbing, and some bones of dogs and other animals were littered on the ground in a casual fashion. Tarantula frowned as Komori stepped forward, pointing.

"You must really wanna die!" She snapped. "Tarantula, do you think you can eat THEM before you eat the cats?"

"Forget "eaten", you're gonna get BEATEN!" Morpholomew said.

"**Variazione****!**" Spud read from the book.

POOOF!

Now Morpholomew was a large, muscular being who flexed his pecs and grinned. "Ha-ha-ha! I am 316, the Amazing Morpholomew!" He shouted. "And if you won't give those sheep back, I'll MAKE you!" He yelled, leaping into the air and aiming a punch down at Tarantula's head…

BA-BAM!

"Yikes, he's…what the?"

Komori and Tarantula blinked stupidly as Morpholomew held his hand, nursing it. "OW-OW-OW! Her head's HARD!"

"…I feel a bit dizzy. Was that supposed to be an attack or a love tap?" Tarantula asked.

"I get it…it only changes your OUTWARD appearance. The truth is you're still weak!" Komori laughed.

"NOW what are we supposed to do? They figured it out!" Morpholomew moaned.

"Eat THIS! **ARAIGNÉE!**"

Tarantula's spinneret created a sticky web that she quickly twirled into a whip. She raised it up and sent it flying through the air…

THA-WHACK!

It struck Spud right in the chest. He'd jumped in front of Morph to protect him, and now he fell to the ground, groaning.

"HA! A weak human for a weak experiment." Komori sniggered. "Tell me, are you afraid of spiders?"

"Grr…I'm gonna revive him and THEN we'll see who's laughing!" Morpholomew said._** "Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Spud Maaaan! Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Spud Maaaaan! Spud Maaaan!"**_

Spud rose up, fist pointing into the sky. "Ha-ha! Go ahead and blast again, you can't beat me, the Iron Man!"

"Grr…you irritating insect!"

"And spiders EAT insects!" Tarantula laughed.

"Oh yeah?!" Morph growled.

"Take THIS! **Variabilità**!" Spud shouted.

PA-WHOOF!

Morpholomew jumped on Komori, now at a miniscule size. "Now you'll know my wrath!" He yelled, jumping on her chest and…

WOOO-OOOP!

"…OOOOH!" Spud gasped, his mouth forming a perfect "o" and going to the side slightly in awe.

"WOAH." Tarantula blinked.

"HEY! This was original Versace, you son of a!!!" Komori yelled, running after Morpholomew and trying to put IT back on.

There were some shouts from inside the cave. Quickly Spud read another spell, whispering it. And then…

TWO Komori's exited the cave as a bunch of smoke clouded everything. When it cleared, Tarantula saw the two Komori's and blinked.

"Hey…did you get a haircut?" She asked one of them.

"WHAT?! That's a fake!" The first yelled. "Trash her!"

"Which one's the real one?" Tarantula asked, looking confused.

"I'M the real Komori!"

"As if! I'M the real Komori!"

Tarantula gulped. "Er…uh…I…"

"Don't be confused you stupid spider! This one's obviously a fake!" The first snarled, pointing at the second.

"Look, punch us both if you want to. That way you'll know for sure." The second said.

BAM!

The second one went down. Tarantula grinned. "THAT one was fake!"

"What made you choose HER?" The human girl asked, pointing down at the other lookalike.

"Because the person Komori is wouldn't say "punch us both" because she's selfish!" Komori said.

"RAAAAGGGHH! NOW I'M GONNA MAKE YOU PAY!" Komori yelled, getting up and holding the book up.

"Oh dear. I punched the wrong one?" Tarantula asked.

"Yeah, it was a classic reversal!" Morpholomew said, turning back into his normal self. "You were right…Komori WAS the kind of person who wouldn't say "punch us both"…except THIS time she was!" He laughed, jumping back to Spud.

"YEAH!"

They all turned their head to see Wendy and Cody…and Cody was punching the air.

"CODY!? Why are you here?" Morph asked.

"I came to see you kick some butt!" Cody cheered. "Hoo-hah!"

"You can do it! Kick his can!" Wendy agreed.

"Now let's finish it! For the KITTIES!" Spud yelled. " **GUARDIA DEL CORPO!****!**"

WHOOOM! Morpholomew was transformed into a towering colossus! Eyes wide, Tarantula and her partner gasped.

"WOAH!"

"QUICK, QUICK!" Tarantula yelled. "Cast a spell!"

"**L'ARAIGNÉE!**" Komori yelled.

Tarantula's spinneret fired off an acidic web that soared through the air…but it went right through Morpholomew! She blinked. "What the?"

Spud turned to Wendy and Cody and whispered out a plan. They nodded, then hid behind some trees, moving carefully…

"Again, again!" Tarantula yelled. "Don't let him squish me!"

"I! AM! ICE-CREAM-MAN! FORTY-SEVEN-FLAVORS IN THE BACKA MY VAN!" Morpholomew yelled, waving his fists in the air as he "stomped around."

"Now I can take your book!" Spud yelled, rushing forward.

"You don't stand a chance!" Komori laughed as she read the book again. "**ARAIGNÉE!**"

Smirking, Tarantula cracked her whip at Spud…

FWOOM!

…and then that smirk dropped when she saw Spud was gripping the rope, grinning. "You've…obviously…never heard of me…I'm Arthur P. Spudinski! I'm the super genius, superstar and superhero of Brooklyn, SPUD!"

He grinned. "And I'm not alone!"

"HA-WHAAAA!"

THWOMPA!

Wendy Oldbag and Cody Hackins popped out from the nearby trees, having maneuvered around Komori and Tarantula. They grabbed Komori and Spud rushed forward to grab the book.

"Why you little!" Tarantula snarled, rushing forward to tear Cody's face…

SMACK!

She was bitch-slipped back as Morpholomew jumped up into the air. He landed in front of Cody, snarling at the spider experiment.

"Don't…you…touch…my…BROTHER!" He yelled.

Spud grabbed the book from the restrained Komori's hands and held up a lighter. FWOOMP! The book was going up in flames!

"You LOST. Justice triumphs once again!" Spud said defiantly.

"Oh _foo_." Tarantula muttered as she vanished. Komori gaped at the sight, then Cody and Wendy both knocked her over the head, knocking her out. Cody cheerfully hugged Morpholomew, laughing.

"You saved me!" He said. "And you got our cats back!"

"I told you before!" Morpholomew said, returning the hug. "I'm your brother!"

"Heh…YOU were the cool one today, Morph…not me." Spud thought to himself.

…

…

…

… "Well…it's time I got back to NYC." Spud told Mr. Berry. "I'm sorry Morpholomew can't stay with you, but the little guy's like family to me."

"We'll all miss you." Mr. Berry told Morpholomew. "But…before you go…"

He smiled and snapped his fingers as the acrobats rolled out the ball that Morpholomew had tried to balance on. "Why don't you try and ride the ball?"

Morpholomew gulped. "But…but I've never actually done it RIGHT before…" He mumbled.

"But you'll do it right this time, right?" Spud asked.

"…YEAH!" Morph said, jumping on the ball. "I will!"

And this time, he didn't fall off! He found himself standing atop of the ball, slowly walking it around.

"I did it!" He yelled happily, holding his hands in the air. "I did it!"

He turned around…

And he saw that Cody and Wendy had assembled a large crowd of people…the same circus-goers from earlier…

And all of the crowd, Cody and Wendy especially, were cheering and clapping for him with an enthusiasm he'd never heard before.

It was like Cody had said. He'd made them laugh by failing. He'd made them even HAPPIER by succeeding.

"Cody…" He said, hopping off the ball.

"I'm…I'm gonna miss you." Cody admitted, nervously holding his hands behind his back. "But…but you promise to write me and stuff, right?"

"Yeah…and if you're ever worried, don't worry, I'll come running! I won't ever forget you…" Morpholomew said, taking Cody's hand and looking up into his eyes.

_"Because I'm Cody's brother!"_

**Review! And enjoy another preview!**

**Dr. Rupert: Sigh...oh, Page...how I miss you...**

**Crystallene: I remember when you guys first met us in a fight...**

**Dr. Rupert: We were searching for allies in the fight against Shadow's evil! **

**Yuuku: Did you have any luck?**

**Dr. Rupert: You'll have to find out yourself on the next "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"!**


	34. A Search for Hope

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR**

**希望のための検索！ルパート博士は覚えて！**

**A Search for Hope! Dr. Rupert Remembers!**

**----------------------------------------------------------------**

Dr. Rupert sat in the backyard of his large mansion. Specifically, the albino rabbit/hamster/thing was sitting on the edge of a fountain as water slowly sloshed down from the dolphin at the top. He was looking up at the stars, thinking hard.

He found himself wondering as he looked up into the sky. Had it really been such a short time ago? Had it really only been 2 months since Page was by his side, laughing as the doctor told him stories, performed tricks…

Dr. Rupert had a hard time with getting past saying goodbye…he knew that Page wouldn't want him to dwell on the sorrowful times, yet…

"What hope do I have for happiness now?" He asked himself as he looked at his reflection in the fountain's pool below, his paw disturbing the surface.

Then he realized what word he'd used.

…Hope…

HOPE…

…

…

…

… "Ha-ha-ha-ha! You're so nice! Thank you, my body feels AMAZING!" Dr. Rupert said as he lifted himself up. He'd just been hit with "Minstro-Socius"…the first one that Crystallene had ever called forth, back when she had no idea what the spell DID.

"What the?! It's a HEALING spell!?" Crystallene gasped. "Didn't see THAT comin'!"

"What do you think you're up to, healing your foe?" Dr. Rupert asked, holding up his book as it glowed. He grinned evilly. "If you aren't more careful with your spells…YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE THIS DECISIVE BATTLE TO DETEMINE THE CHAMPION! **OCULA DEUS!**"

Page lifted his body into the air, his eyes glowing brightly. "Take THIS!" He yelled.

"Quick!" Crystallene shouted. "The other new spell!" She begged.

"RIGHT! **REPENDO!**" She yelled.

WHA-WHOOOM!

A glowing shield surrounded Dr. Rupert and Page…and Page's blasting eye attack bounded all around the shield. WHOMPA-WHOMPA-WHOMPA-WHOMP!

"Woah…" Crystallene gasped.

"So it reflects an opponent's attack back at them?" Yuuku wondered.

Yes…it had been 40 days before the fantastic struggle against the Fanon Line experiments…and he had been out seeing allies in the fight against evil!

"Hmm…you remembered TWO spells at once…that's…"

Dr. Rupert's head hit the ground as he flopped down, covered in bruises as Page held his scorched tail. "That's…really…sommmmmeetthiiiing…UGH…"

"Doctor! Doctor!" Page shook him over and over. "Dr. Rupert, come on! Please get up! Man, this is just like that time with Chopsuey and Nick!"

Yuuku and Crystallene blinked at the same time, then turned to each other.

"Hey! Did you say you saw Chopsuey?" Crystallene asked.

Page looked up. "Yeah! They're our friends! We need their help for what's to come!"

Yuuku blinked. "What's to come? WHAT'S to come?"

…

…

…

… "AAA! AAA! STOP…STRANGLING…ME!"

"You're not trying to TRICK me again, are you!? You already did that lying thing on me ONCE! Fool me once and shame on you, fool me TWICE, shame on ME!" Crystallene snarled, trying to throttle Dr. Rupert with her paw/hands.

"Hey, hey!" Page pulled Crystallene off. "Sister Crystallene, please calm down! He speaks the truth!"

Crystallene looked at Page. The choir boy had always been a good friend of hers and he NEVER lied. Still, what he was saying…could it TRULY be-

"Yes…" Dr. Rupert held his neck, rubbing it once Crystallene had been pulled off by Yuuku and Page. "About 40 were turned to pods. They have yet to be activated, but all the same these fanon line experiments are a dangerous threat. So we…are travelling the world to gain allies against this threat!"

"Yeah! We're on a mission from GOD!" Page said happily, clasping his hands.

"You were going easy on us. You only used one or two spells." Yuuku said quietly. "You were trying to draw new spells out, right?"

"Yes, and you remembered TWO! Quite impressive." Dr. Rupert said. "Ah, Jumba really was quite ingenious to design the experiments the way he did. Though actually I provided quite a bit of the base designs and ideas…but I could talk about that all day!" He waved his paw dismissively. "When the time comes, I shall ask you for your aid. I have your number. So until then…good luck."

He bowed, and then he and Page left the park, with Page waving goodbye to Crystallene.

…

…

…

… "Doctor, do you really think we'll make lots of allies and friends in this fight against the fanon line warriors?" Page asked Dr. Rupert as they stood in front of an globe in Dr. Rupert's mansion home.

"Yes, I do!" Dr. Rupert said, spinning the globe. "I've been using some contacts from all around the world to provide me with information on "suspicious-looking individuals"…those who are most likely experiments! We'll go meet with them one by one!" He put his paw digit on a country. "First stop…Brazil!"

…

…

…

… "Nope, we refuse. We've got no business fighting more experiments than necessary." One experiment with a firespout at the top of its head. It had two little rounded "horns" on either side of this firespout as well and a red and brown nose. Dr. Rupert frowned slightly. Page blinked.

…

…

…

…"Look, I just ain't 'erested in that sorta thing. I only wanna look fer somebody." Another experiment said. He was a bear/like experiment with a big jacket, a metallic left arm and a rounded lantern jaw.

Dr. Rupert moaned and slapped his face. Page bit his lip.

…

…

…

… "Fight? No, no, no! I'm not having her fight at all!" The American girl said, clutching onto her partner tightly. She looked rather cute in her black and white nun attire.

Dr. Rupert almost cried.

Page DID. "WAAAA! WHAT ABOUT MY MISSION FROM GOOOOOD!?!"

…

…

…

… "I refuse." Ace said, crossing his arms. "No way, rat boy."

"WHAT?! But you VALUE strength! Don't you want to fight strong foes?!" Dr. Rupert inquired.

"If I join you, I'll face up with Chops again…and if I see his face again, beating him will be all I can focus on." Ace growled, shaking his head. "I can't join you."

"…God, why do you do this to us?" Page mumbled as they walked away, dejected.

…

…

…

… "Dr. Rupert…" Page whispered softly as he looked out the window of the airport, putting his paw on it. "I don't get it. Why…"

He banged against the window. "WHY ARE THEY SO SELFISH!?!" He shouted, hitting it as hard as he could, almost crying.

"It's a fight against 100 experiments…all made by the same person. It's a fight that, essentially, DESTROYS the idea of a "comrade"." Dr. Rupert remarked sadly as he folded his arms. "But we must continue to work. Come on…we have to head to some ruins. I've picked up plane tickets, they'll take us CLOSE, but from thereon we're walking to check out some ruins…I've tracked the pod's locations down!"

…

…

…

… "How's your goggles?" Dr. Rupert asked as he looked through his own pair.

"Fine, fine." Page said. "The sky looks so BLUE!"

"Do you see anything ye-YEEE…YEEEET!!!"

He gasped in shock. Page soon saw why through his own goggles. There was an ARMY of experiments assembled there…all looking very, VERY dangerous.

"This…this is…"

Page gulped.

…

…

…

… "Doctor, let's…give up…" Page whispered as he sat on the bed of the hotel they were staying in. "We…we can't…there's no way we can win!" He covered his face. "Nobody wanted to help us!"

"So it's pointless?" Dr. Rupert asked as he sat at a desk, paws folded, one on top of the other.

"YES!" Page shouted. "I know I shouldn't act like this, but I…I just can't see any light at the end of our tunnel!"

Dr. Rupert slowly turned around and smiled gently. "Page…we have not lost "that light"." He told him. "And if the light is weak, we'll just make it stronger."

"Why are you trying so hard?" Page asked, looking at him in confusion. "We're in a world filled with enemies, we have almost no allies, we're facing an army of evil…how can you talk like that? I just…" He covered his face again. "I just don't understand…"

"I know the importance of hope." Dr. Rupert said softly, looking intently at Page. "It is more important than life itself…"

"…I'm…going to bed…" Page mumbled, getting to the side of the bed and quickly saying his prayers as Dr. Rupert watched him.

"…you'll understand eventually, Page." Dr. Rupert thought.

…

…

…

…they'd returned to the ruins. Dr. Rupert had wanted to investigate more, to find out WHY the fanon line experiments always returned to the ruins. But then they'd see people flying away…

"Oh no." He thought out loud, his large ears stiffening.

"What, what is it?" Page asked, turning to Dr. Rupert.

"My ears are NOT for decoration, dear Page. I heard that golden one speak…she's heading for Hawaii! I must warn our friends!" Dr. Rupert spoke.

"Who…are you going to warn?" A voice asked.

They turned around to see a fanon-line experiment looking RIGHT at them. It was a female experiment with a long pair of ears that were colored like flames. She had a dark, almost black body, a red ring of pearls around her neck, legs and wrists, and sharp black claws.

"So…the Master of Shadows was right. There WAS a rat sniffing around here. I didn't think it'd be an actual RAT though!" The experiment spoke up.

Oh no she DI-IN'T!

"I…AM A HAMSTER!" Dr. Rupert snarled. "**VOTIUM!**" He read from the book.

The female smiled. "Ha! Finally, some action after 100 years!" She snapped her fingers at a black-haired African American girl with glasses who held up a red and orange book.

"**MALEDICTUM!**" The girl read out. The experiment raised one hand and a shimmering red orb appeared, forming a shield. It launched the cross blast RIGHT back at our heroes, who barely rolled to the side in time!

"So the mind control that Master of Shadows spoke of is the real deal after all." The experiment wondered out loud. She then grinned. "Very well! I, Jinx, can't possibly lose this fight!"

"WH…WHAT?!" Dr. Rupert growled. That human was being BRAINWASHED?! How cruel…how awful…

"LET'S GET THEM!" Page yelled.

It was an all out assault. The experiment and Page rushed at each other, not even using spells. Jinx punched, kicked, scratched and slashed, and Page would strike back at her with all his might. Usually he didn't fight girls though, so he was holding back...

And it was costing him. Yet even as her blows rained down, even as his body quivered and was about to hit the ground, he would not give up.

_"I don't understand…"_ He thought after headbutting Jinx back and standing by Dr. Rupert's side. He had seen how fiercely his book was glowing._ "Why…why is the book glowing so brightly? I'm so scared…"_

"Page…"

Page blinked as Dr. Rupert brushed some dust off his body and stood up proudly. "We can't lose hope. Even if we walk through the valley of the shadow of death!"

He grinned and clenched a fist. "It's true that life is painful sometimes! But by giving it our all and never losing sight of the light of hope…we can find it…something I see even now!"

He pointed forward. "A LAND FILLED WITH PEACE!" He yelled. "HELPED TO BE CREATED BY I, THE AMAZING DR. RUPERT JACQUES VON HAMSTERVIEL, THE DOCTOR WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING!"

Page blinked his eyes…and then smiled as he nodded and faced Jinx.

"But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish!" He quoted from a psalm. "I AM PAGE! EXPERIMENT 620…AND I…AN NOT LOSING…TO THE LIKES OF YOOOOUUU!"

"Then show me what you've GOT, little angel!" Jinx dared him.

"Oh, I WILL!" Page yelled.

"**VALIDIUS VOTIUM!**" Dr. Rupert read from the book.

…

…

…

… "Darn it all." Jinx mumbled as she kicked the ground, her book burning. "Fine…you won…" She sighed. "It's true, I'm a scout, I came out alone. But the others ALWAYS move in groups. And one is headed right for Hawaii. Though…" She tapped her lip with a claw. "If you hurry and called, you might be able to warn them. But there's no cell phone service out here. At least, not for me…I shoulda gone with Sprint."

She shrugged. "Ah, well. Whatever will be, will be. Que sera, sera."

And with that, she vanished. Dr. Rupert turned to Page.

"Doctor?...can we reach them in time?" Page asked.

Dr. Rupert held up his cell phone form his jacket pocket, showing four bars. "Cingular works pretty well too!" He laughed. He dialed quickly. "Hello? Hello, yes it is I, Dr. Rupert, the amazing doctor who knows everything! Yes, glad to see you remember me. Listen, Nick and Chopsuey are in great trouble. There is a fanon group headed right for them…"

…

…

…

…and so, Crystallene had agreed to help Chopsuey. And soon after, they'd headed after Morpholomew, and then they'd found Carmen, and then Trainer.

He had had hope and it had been rewarded, Dr. Rupert thought as his thoughts turned to the present. And he had a hope in his heart now…

He would continue to help the others in any way he could, he thought as he looked up at the stars one more time before heading back inside to go to bed. And he knew that eventually it would all work out.

He could see his little angel's smile already.

"My Page…thank you…for giving me the gift of hope when I needed it most…"

He smiled.

_"The memories I have of you will ensure I never lose sight of hope ever again."_

**Author's Note:**

**Cheers to MiriamtheBat from DA for her character Jinx's smooth style! And before you get to reviewing, enjoy this preview of the next arc!**

**Nick: What an odd thing. It looks like a piece of a mirror...**

**Carmen: Say...could I have it, babe? I NEED it bad!**

**Chops: Jenny, Carmen, stop this! Why are you fighting us?!**

**Jenny: I don't want to lose Carmen, that's why!**

**???: The power of the Trinity Mirror can grant one wish...if you gathered all the pieces together...**


	35. Mirror, Mirror, Part 1

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE**

**鏡、壁に鏡！方法****1****週間で男を失う…パート****1**

**Mirror, Mirror on the Wall! How To Lose A Guy In One Week…Part 1**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

He was heavier than 626 in size, and had jet-black fur with red eyes. There were swirling markings on his arms, legs, and back, and although he had no extra arms, the tips of red on his antennae and spines made him look impressive enough. He knelt down and picked up what he had sought out.

"To think…" His partner began. "That it would split into THREE…"

"It means one is down!" The experiment said as he raised his prize up. "And now there's only two to go!" He whispered softly. "Soon my plans will bear fruit."

"It's a good thing my tracking device can trace the energy signature of each of the pieces." His partner told him. "We should get looking…but which team should we contact? The first or the second?"

"…hmm…"

The experiment smirked. "Let's start with the "newbies"…to see if they can get it done without muss or fuss…"

…

…

…

… "HA!"

Nick dived into the water and was swimming happily around the ocean just outside of Kokaua Town Beach. He was having a lovely time going through the water, a blue scuba mask on his face to cover his eyes and mouth and wearing a pair of green swimming shorts.

Why not goggles? Simple! This way, when he flipped upside-down to float near the surface and have fun fooling around, the water didn't go up his nose!

But soon he was distracted by something more noticeable than the surface of the ocean which he liked to stick his hand through, making him feel like he was in "Pirates of the Caribbean". And that…was a glowing object down below. It gave off a pretty shine, and was…humming slightly…

He HAD to pick it up!

Now I know what some of you are thinking. "What's Chopsuey doing?"

Well, Chopsuey had chores around the house just like Nick did. Nick tended to cleaning the laundry, the floors, cooking dinner…and Chopsuey did stuff like tending the garden outside. He was singing a little song as he knelt among the garden, holding up several tools with his arms.

_**Slug by slug, weed by weed, **__**this garden's got me really teed!**_

_**All the insects love to feed on my tomato plants**__**!**_

_**Sunburned face, scratched-up knees,**__**our kitchen's choked with zucchinis!**_

_**I'm shopping at the A & P next time I get a chance!**_

_**The crabgrass grows, the ragweed thrives…the broccoli has long since died!**_

_**The only things left still alive are some radishes and beans…**_

_**My carrot plants are dead and gone…the rabbits sing a happy song!**_

_**Until you've weeded all day long, you don't KNOW what boredom means!**_

_**You get up early, work till late…watch moles and mice get overweight!**_

_**They eat their dinners on a plate from the hard work you have done…**_

_**As ye sow so shall ye reap…but I smell like a COMPOST HEAP!**_

_**I'm gonna KILL that lousy creep who said "gardening was fun"!!!**_

"Chops!" Nick yelled. Chopsuey turned his head. He suddenly realized it was lunchtime! And he'd gotten himself something SPECIAL for lunch today!

"Chops!"

Wait, Nick didn't get THIS excited about lunch. "What is it?" Chopsuey asked, putting the tools down. Then he saw Nick was holding something…

…

…

…

… "It's so pretty, it's so shiny, it's so beautiful, it's so…SO!" Nick said as he twirled around, holding it into the air at his house.

"…yeah…right…" Chopsuey moaned, covering his face with one clawed hand. "Please quit it." He told Nick as he sat at the table. "I'm trying to eat some yellowtail tuna! I wanna see what it tastes like and the fishermen at the dock say it "melts in your mouth"!" He told Nick in an annoyed fashion.

"You're just jealous that for once **I'M** the one who found something interesting, not YOU, Mr. "I Can Smell Out Anything From 20 Miles Away"." Nick laughed, rubbing his prize against his cheek. The prize was actually a piece of a mirror, triangular in shape and very, VERY sparkly.

"Yeah, sure, THAT'S it. Now lemme eat my yellowtail!"

"_Heeeyyyy_!"

"OH CRAP!" Chopsuey gasped. "I know that voice, it's LILO!" He gasped. "Nick, quick, you've got to hide me! Lilo can't know that I'm here, or she'll get Stitch sent on my trail!"

"But I thought you WANTED to meet Stitch eventually." Nick said, looking confused.

"EVENTUALLY! I'm not at my strongest yet, I want to fight him at a time when we can give it all we've got! Hide me, HIDE ME!" He begged, tugging on Nick's shirt.

"Alright, alright, I'll HIDE you!" Nick insisted.

FIVE…MINUTES…LATER…

"_Aloha_, Nick!" Lilo said, waving her hand as Nick waved his own out the window. "I've got some news!"

"Coming right down!" Nick said, disappearing from the window and appearing in the doorway a few moments later. "Let's go for a walk and talk about it then."

Chopsuey had been quickly hidden…a good thing too, because he could hear Stitch's voice…apparently Stitch followed Lilo around as secretly as possible. He had been a LITTLE worried that Stitch might sniff him out, but luckily, Nick had left behind a bunch of deodorant spray cans in his room.

"PU." Stitch said, plugging his nose with his paw. "I can't STAND "Old Spice"." He moved away from Nick's bedroom window and decided to follow Lilo from the bushes alongside the sidewalk.

"So we've got a new kid in town. She's moved here with her mother, who's going to be the Spanish teacher!" Lilo told Nick as they walked along the sidewalk.

"What's her name?" Nick said.

"Her name's…eh…" Lilo scratched her head. "I think it's Jenny."

DOINK!

Nick's eyes went wide. A girl named Jenny who's mom who taught Spanish? Could it really be her?

"Heyyyyy!"

It was! Jenny saw Nick and Lilo and ran over to them, crossing the street. "Hi, Nick!"

"You two know each other?" Lilo asked, pointing from Nick to Jenny.

"Yep! We've done lots of things together…" She smiled. "We both share secrets too, hee-hee!"

Nick nervously blushed. For some reason, Lilo got nervous about this. "Yeah, right, whatever." She mumbled.

"Come on, Nick, I got lots to tell you about!" Jenny said, dragging Nick away by his hand before he could protest.

"…hmph." Lilo said, crossing her arms.

"Jealous." Stitch thought to himself, giggling madly.

"_That giggling in the bushes had better just be the wind!_" Lilo mumbled angrily.

…

…

…

… "So how's it been going for you?" Nick asked.

"It's cool living here in your town! It's a lot less crowded than my own, and everyone's really nice!" Jenny admitted as she twirled one lock of hair.

Nick and Chopsuey were at the river, sitting on the hill that led down to it's bank. Jenny and Carmen were also there, and the experiments were dipping their feet in the water, enjoying the feel.

"You know about Lilo and Stitch, right?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, but we don't wanna fight 'em either." Jenny said. "I just want Carmen to stay with me forever!" She laughed happily. "She's the big sister I always wanted, and I'm the little sister she loves looking out for!"

"Si, si, es veredad." Carmen agreed.

"How's your English coming along?" Chopsuey asked.

"Ees coming along muy bein-I mean, very good. How about you?" She asked, smiling happily. "How are CHOO doing?"

Chopsuey blushed at the sight of her smiling at him. "Well, uh…we've been trying to relax lately." He admitted. "Haven't had any "adventures" for a while."

"Well, we've been pretty busy, actually! We met experiment 614, aka Gunner!" Jenny told them all.

"Really?" Chops asked, turning his head. "How's that old war dog doing?"

As Jenny and Carmen both told the story of how they'd met with Gunner and Adio, a man approached them from the road. He smirked and reached into his bag, bringing out a book. He was about to launch a spell when his partner raised a hand in the air. He wanted to hear the rest of the story.

"...and so then he vanished."

"That's…that's so sad." Nick said quietly.

"I hope YOU don't vanish." Carmen mumbled, holding Chops's hand. "Because…because…"

Chops blinked. Wait…was she?...

"Isn't that sweet?" A voice spoke up.

They turned their heads to see a rather boring-looking man with a not-so-boring partner standing by his side. It resembled a monkey with yellow fur and purple markings on it's body. It had a small black nose and most distinguishingly of all…it was wearing tap-dancing shoes. The purple tuft of hair at the top of it's head bobbed slightly as it tilted it's head and frowned. "I HATE sweet! Now then, I can sense the Trinity Mirror in your backpack, brown-haired boy…hand it over!"

"What?" Nick frowned, getting up along with Jenny and Carmen. "Trinity Mirror? It's only part of a mirror. Why's it so special?"

"Seeing as you're going to die unless you hand it over, I don't think it concerns you." The experiment said coldly. "I, 321, AKA Lightfoot, will walk all over you!"

"Oh we'll see about that…" Nick said, getting out his book as Jenny and Carmen stepped back to let the "boys get some action."

"**RENATROT!**" The book owner of Lightfoot read out. Lightfoot jumped into the air and unleashed a quick series of kicks. Nick and Chops dodged to the side…and saw that the air itself was being rippled!

"YIKES! It cuts through the air! Potent." Chops gasped as Lightfoot landed on his feet expertly and snapped his fingers.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! My feet can cut through anything!" He told them in a bragging tone. "And that's not ALL they do! Do you like Riverdance?"

"**RIOMAMBO!**"

He then began to quickly dance around in place better than any dancer Nick had ever seen on TV or the stage. Nick clapped his hands. "WOAH! Look at him go!"

"Nick, FOCUS!" Chops insisted.

"Aw, come on, you gotta admit, the whole Riverdance thing is-"

Then Nick realized that the foot impressions left behind weren't normal indentations in the ground but big, black "feet"…like the kind you saw in instructional books on how to dance, move your left foot like that, right foot like that…

Then Lightfoot stopped and bowed, and the feet rose up…becoming living, black SHOES!

"What…the…HEY?!" Chops mumbled. "Aw, fine! They're only shoes!" He said, rushing forward to take them down.

BAMMA-BAMMA-BAMMA! He was promptly stomped over and over. He lay on the ground, moaning as they walked all over him.

"NICK! HELP! ME!"

"This…is kinda messed up." Nick agreed.

"You've yet to see my GREATEST power!" Lightfoot laughed.

"Why do you WANT this dumb piece of mirror!?" Nick demanded to know. "**IADEO!**"

Chopsuey swung his fists, knocking the black feet stomp-things away and making them dissipate in the wind.

"You don't need to know that. Now hand it over!" Lightfoot demanded.

"I don't think so." Nick said. "Because you guys seem to want it REAL bad. Bad enough to kill. And it seems like this mirror is something very important. I wouldn't give **anything** to somebody who feels he has to KILL to get his hands on something, be it unimportant or life-changing!" Nick yelled, clenching his fist.

"RIGHT!" Chopsuey snarled. "So hit us with your best shot, you dumb little dancer!"

"**DANCEMACABRE!**"

Lightfoot twirled around and around as his body glowed, and shot up light into the sky. It formed a swirling ball of purple and yellow energy as Lightfoot laughed. "Ha-ha-ha-ha! This is a spell that won't stop moving until it hit's a target! You can't run away, because it will catch up!"

"I'm not running." Nick laughed. "THE THIRD SPELL, **RETRAHO!**"

Chopsuey manifested a grappling gun in mid-air and it shot out, wrapping around Lightfoot's book.

"GOTCHA!" Chops grinned, and he flung it up…up…

THWOOOSH!

His book was instantly obliterated in his own attack. Lightfoot didn't even have time to swear as he vanished.

"…dang…" His book keeper muttered. Then he noticed Nick and Chops were looking right at him. "Uh…AAA!" He ran for it.

…

…

…

… "Well, we're alright." Nick told Jenny and Carmen. "I'm just glad that it was only one opponent and not a group of treasure hunters or something."

"I don't know why they'd want a mirror piece though." Chops asked.

"Mirror piece?" Jenny asked. "What was it he called it again?"

"He said it was the Trinity Mirror. It's a PIECE of a mirror, at any rate." Nick admitted. "Here…"

He reached into his backpack and took it out. "See? It's pretty, isn't it?" He asked them, showing off its gleam.

Carmen blinked in surprise. "Oooh! Si, si!"

"Woah…" Jenny gasped, her eyes going wide as well. "Could I see it?"

"Er…uh…no." Chopsuey said quickly. "We've got to get going, Nick."

As they watched the two boys head off and wave goodbye to them, Jenny and Carmen were thinking the same thing.

Why THEM? Why HERE? Why **NOW**?

…

…

…

…the news was playing in the other room. But neither Jenny nor Carmen were paying attention to it or to the strange structure it was showing on the screen…

"He wouldn't give it to me." Jenny said quietly as she looked in the mirror. "He wouldn't give me the Trinity Mirror Piece."

Carmen sat quietly on the bed.

"And if he doesn't give us the piece…" Jenny's lip began to quiver. "Then you and I will…"

She looked into the mirror and saw Carmen was staring at her with a tortured expression of pain.

She covered her eyes. "I know it's wrong!" Jenny sobbed. "I KNOW…but I…I don't wanna …wanna…"

She finally raced over to Carmen and hugged her tightly, sobbing into her big sister's body. "It's alright…" Carmen crooned to her. "Hermana has choo…it's gonna be okay…"

"…_Nick…Chops…I'm so sorry it's come to this."_ Carmen thought. _"I didn't want this to happen either…I'm just so desperate…"_


	36. Mirror, Mirror, Part 2

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX**

**鏡、壁に鏡！方法****1****週間で男を失う…パート****2**

**Mirror, Mirror on the Wall! How To Lose A Guy In One Week…Part 2**

**-----------------------------------------------------------**

Nick nervously tapped his pointer fingers together. "Eventually we've got to tell Lilo about us…"

Chopsuey folded his arms across his chest. "I dunno…" He mumbled.

The two of them were back in Nick's room and were trying to decide what to do about Lilo and Stitch. Nick believed that they should simply tell Lilo about his identity as a book owner, but Chopsuey wasn't too sure. He believed that he should only go to them when both were at their strongest…when both were equal.

But it wasn't just that. To be truthful, although Chopsuey had forgiven Stitch for usurping his position and for "taking Jumba away from him", he wasn't sure Stitch had forgiven him for HIS actions towards Stitch in the past. After all they'd had a very nasty fight…harsh words had been said. He'd almost KILLED Stitch, and Stitch had been forced to electrocute him, shutting Chopsuey down temporarily and therefore "proving his superiority".

Ironically it was only because of 621 that 626 hadn't been locked up. Jumba had been grabbed by the Galactic Federation and had been about to charge 626 up fully with power but before he'd been able to install all of it, troopers had busted in and taken Jumba off…

Their leader hadn't lasted long enough to tell the GFA of their capture, because 621 had almost eviscerated him, distracting the guards long enough for Jumba to set 626 free. So 626 and 621 had interlinked destinies, be they "ohana", enemies or "friendly rivals", as Nick hoped they could be someday.

But that wasn't what REALLY worried Chops. He was KIND of wondering what Stitch's ultimate goal as champion was, true, but he was MORE worried about Carmen and Jenny. He'd felt it…a sudden, strong desire to take the mirror piece. It had been from the deepest corners of their mind, he was sure of it. He didn't know how he knew…he just did…

"EVENTUALLY they'll figure it out. Lilo's a very clever girl!" Nick insisted. "Now, I'm not the kind of person who usually goes around telling people what they need to do, but-"

Chopsuey tilted his head to the side, thinking about previous statements Nick had made to others.

_"Here's what you should do…"_

"Here's the problem…"

"All you have to do is…"

"Look, I know you think we should tell Lilo…but you're wrong." Chopsuey said. "So wrong!"

"I am not." Nick said, crossing his arms.

"You're wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong…wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! You're wrooong! You're wroong! You're wrooooong!"

"I am NOT-" Nick began to say. Then as he rolled his eyes, he caught side of the calendar on the wall.

**SFX: BOING!  
**

His eyes widened. "AAA! I FORGOT! TODAY'S MONDAY! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE IN SCHOOOL!"

He screamed and ran out the door, grabbing his book and the mirror piece and stuffing them inside his backpack. Chopsuey slapped his face as Nick tore out of the house. "Behold…the mighty keeper of the "Garden Green" book…"

…

…

…

…Nick was running at top speed to school. He had no idea that today was not going to be a good day for him…or for Carmen and Jenny.

Yes, Carmen and Jenny. The two of them had decided to follow Nick wherever he went.

"Carmen…"

Jenny looked at Carmen. "I'm really…REALLY glad we're friends with them…I hope they can understand when…"

"What the?!"

Nick had entered the school to find it FILLED with pets. "What the heck is going on?!" He asked.

"It's Bring Your Pet To Work Day"!" Mr. White told him. He was holding onto a cute little blue creature that had little wings and stubby arms and legs. It only said "chow" over and over. "This is Blue. I named him that because he does this **b—chin'** dance to "I'm Blue, Ba-Ba-Dee-Ba-Bi-Da", you know that song?"

"Oh dear." Nick gaped when he saw people with horses, chameleons, cats, dogs and stuff in between. "They're EVERYWHERE!" He gasped.

"This is Stitch!" Lilo said, holding Stitch up. "He's an Ectoplasm Detection Dog!"

"Er…okay…" Nick mumbled as Stitch licked him in the face. "Aw, that tickles!" He then hugged Stitch tightly. "Show me the love, puppy!"

Stitch gasped. YIKES, the kid could bear-hug!

Jenny and Carmen, who were watching Nick's classroom from outside the window moaned together. "Great, Stitch is here!" Jenny moaned. "How are we supposed to get them to leave?"

Luckily something happened that forced them ALL to stop moving around. The PRINCIPAL walked in.

"…alright…if you're not part of this class…you have TEN SECONDS TO GET OUT OF HERE!" He shouted.

"Uh oh." Jenny gulped.

KA-WHOOSH!

A stream of pets sailed out the first story window, trampling over Jenny and Carmen. After the dust had settled, the two had more animal tracks on them than you find in any wilderness guidebook.

"Madre con dios…" Carmen moaned out.

"Owwwww…" Jenny groaned.

Mr. White suddenly stiffened. He felt a chill go through him. Something…

Something was calling to him.

He WOULD answer it. He'd track it down…

…

…

…

… "All right…desperate times call for desperate measures."

Jenny and Carmen had snuck into the school and were outside the boy's bathroom.

"He'll be alone when he goes to the bathroom." Jenny told Carmen. "So let's do this quickly!"

They rushed inside, opened the door and…

Soon found out that he wasn't using the stall for once…and that he wasn't alone.

"GAAAAAWWWWWW!!!" She gasped.

"…_**oooh**_." Carmen said, mouth forming a perfect "o".

They were out of there faster than you could say "whiz kid".

…

…

…

…Nick was doing push-ups outside in the field for Gym class. Jenny had dressed herself up in a standard school uniform and was now hiding in a nearby bush. "All I have to do is wait…" She thought.

And there it was. He put down his backpack and headed to the fountain. Yelling a battle cry, Jenny rushed forward, and then dove for the backpack!

…and she slid thirty feet along the ground on her stomach as Lilo picked up the pack and brought it back to Nick. "You dropped this!"

"Oh, thanks!"

"…owwwww…" Jenny mumbled. She stood up, holding her sore forehead, which now was all red. "Icepack…where's my icepack?"

…

…

…

…from far away he stirred, awakening from slumber.

He knew it…that pulsing feeling. He'd heard it whispering to him, calling to him.

He would answer it. The grey-furred experiment stood up and stretched, yawning and showing off sharp canines. He grinned, and then raced through the woods, his taloned feet propelling him through the air as he fairly flew.

…

…

…

… all else had failed…

They would have to use FORCE.

Jenny and Carmen appeared to Chopsuey when he was back in the garden. He looked up in surprise. "Carmen? Jenny? Why are you here?"

"…please…convince Nick to give us the mirror piece." Jenny asked quietly, holding onto the book.

"Wh-what?!" Chopsuey blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I need it…it's important to both of us." She insisted. "Now PLEASE! Promise us you'll give us the mirror piece when Nick gets back!"

"…Carmen, what's going on? I can't just give you-wait…you're not…you're not involved with those people from before, are you?" Chops asked.

"…I didn't wanna do this, but…"

Jenny opened up her book, biting her lip as she read a new spell. "**Bailador!**"

Carmen snapped her fingers, and a bolt of pink light shot out from the tips of her small antennae, striking Chopsuey right in the chest. Carmen then proceeded to get jiggy with her bad self, dancing around.

"Shake it fast! Watch yourself! Shake it fast! Show me whatcha workin' with!" Carmen sang out.

"What…is…going…on!?" Chops gasped as he repeated Carmen's dance moves perfectly, the two dancing in sync.

"New spell." Jenny told him happily. "This way you do exactly as Carmen does…and what she does is dance! Now then…" Her eyes narrowed. "Are you going to tell Nick to give us the mirror piece or do we have to get violent?" She demanded.

"Carmen…why are you doing this? Aren't we friends?" Chopsuey asked.

And Carmen stopped dancing, the attack wearing off. "I…I…" She looked down at the ground in shame and covered her face.

"Carmen…if we don't do this…" Jenny bit her lip.

Carmen nodded slowly. "I'm…sorry…" She whispered.

**"BACHATAAA!"** Jenny yelled. Carmen's body bulged, and right before Chopsuey's eyes she rose up, towering in the air. Her muscles strengthened as she grew taller, fangs and claws developed, and her eyes glinted with a deadly light. She was now a hulking BEHEMOTH!

Carmen raised her hand, her body quivering with a mixture of sorry and anger, and then slammed it down on Chopsuey, and began to crush him.

"AAA! CARMEN! STOP! **PLEEEAAASE!**" Chops begged, his muscles burning.

**"****IADEO!********" **

Chopsuey sent a quick fist blast that knocked Carmen back a few steps, and Jenny turned to see Nick was there…panting heavily.

"I KNEW you were following me!" He cried out. "Jenny, Carmen, why are you doing this!? Why are you attacking Chopsuey!? We're your FRIENDS!"

Jenny sank to her knees and began to cry. "Because…because…I have always felt so alone…and then Carmen came to me…she was the big sister I never had…and she brought light into my world again. She became a part of my family, and my mother and father loved her as much as I did…

And the adventures we had with you and the others…they were so wonderful. Fighting for the sake of the world…being good guys…it was like something from a comic book! But then…then after seeing Gunner get sent back, Carmen and I began to think about Pleakley's partner…he was sent back too! And Page…poor Page was sent back as well…

I realized that I didn't really care about the fight! I wanted Carmen to stay with me forever! To continue being my big sister! I can't face the idea of being separated from her! I CAN'T!"

Carmen nodded. "I…don't want…my hermana taken from me…and then HE appeared…an experiment named Absolute…he said that if we found all of the pieces of the Trinity Mirror, then our wish could be granted…then we would be together forever!"

"So you want it to forgo this fight to decide the champion?" Nick asked.

"Si...we found one…" Carmen said, nodding. She pulled out something from her tutti-frutti hat and held it up. "See? So if we have the other one…"

"…why didn't you just SAY so?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.

Carmen blinked. "QUE?"

Jenny was surprised too. "But…it was your "treasure"…you fought off that OTHER guy for it!"

"But you're my FRIENDS…and you want to stay together!" Nick said. "I trust you guys…"

He reached into his backpack and brought it out. "So you know what? Let's go find "Absolute"…and make your wish come true!"

Carmen's body slowly shrunk back to normal…and then, sobbing with joy, Carmen and Jenny rushed forward, hugging their dear, dear friends tight.

…

…

…

…Carmen rubbed the back of her head. Jenny and Chopsuey were all sitting in Nick's living room while Nick was in the kitchen, making a snack for them. She was trying to work up the courage…

The courage to finally say what she had been wanting to say for so long.

She knew EXACTLY how it would go down.

_"Chops…thank you for…for saving us. Now we can be together forever…and I hope that…that WE could be together forever too." _

"_Carmen…I love you."_

It was gonna be so BEAUTIFUL, she thought. She took a deep breath, then stepped into the living room.

"Chops…thank you for-"

"Ta-daaaa!" Nick said, holding up a plate. "Soy sauce plus pudding equals "sea urchin" taste!" Nick laughed. "I got it from Dr. Rupert, it's one of his "world famous recipes"!"

"That was probably a lie." Chops mumbled.

"Well try it!" Nick said, holding the plate up and giving Chops a fork. Chops looked the squishy thing over, then took some on the fork and tasted it.

**SFX: BOING!  
**

"WOAH! This is goooood!" He complimented. "Gimme more!"

"Hey, I want some too!" Jenny insisted.

"Don't eat it all!" Nick said, snapping the plate away.

Carmen groaned. How was she going to get his attention NOW?

Then she thought back to an old medical show she'd seen.

_"Hmm…these wounds look alright to me, but I'm going to keep checking on them."_

_"Thank you, doctor…you're so kind…"_

Yes, THAT was it!

Quickly, Carmen ran into the bathroom, then came out with a Red Cross medical kit that Nick kept inside the closet. "Chops, let me help you. Choo still got lots of magulladuras on you from the fight we had!"

"Er…okay…" Chops said, blushing nervously.

She walked forward to try and help him, but accidentally tripped, and then…

KA-WHAM!

…

…

…

… "There you go. ALLL better." Jenny said as she put the last bandage around Carmen's sore head.

"….que maldito…"

Carmen had tripped, fallen, and had hit her head on the metallic box. Chopsuey and Nick had gone to buy an ice pack from the store.

"Chops…¿Cómo se supone que voy a decirle cómo me siento a este ritmo voy?" Carmen wondered out loud.

"You have to find a quiet place to tell him." Jenny recommended. "Somewhere private for only you and him!"

Carmen nodded, rubbing her sore head. "You sure, mi hermana?"

"Yeah." Jenny said. "That's how MY mom and dad did it!"

"We're back!"

They looked up to see Nick and Chops in the doorway. Jenny nodded. "Good to see you guys! Carmen has something she wants to say to you, Chops."

Chopsuey blinked. "Oh-oh?"

…

…

…

…it had grown late. The stars were twinkling in the sky as Carmen stood out in the backyard near a tree. Chopsuey stood behind her, looking a bit confused…and nervous.

"Er…Chopuey…I…I…" Carmen mumbled. "It always feels…like I…don't do enough. Back home…I felt weak…but when we fought against…those in the fanon line…when I fought alongside choo…I felt…strong…felt…happy…"

She bit her lip. "And I wanted to say that…that…"

Chops's eyes went wider and wider. It was like something from a Disney movie…any moment she would say-

Then Jenny stuck her head out and killed the romantic moment. "Carmen! He's calling! HE'S calling!"

Carmen gasped. But…but Chops…

"He says he'll be here in five minutes!" Jenny went on. "And he's bringing the piece!"

Five minutes?

In just five minutes, all of her wishes would come true…

But wait…she wanted to stay with Jenny forever, but she wanted to stay with Chopsuey as well…

But Chopsuey wanted to become the champion…he WANTED to go back to Jumba…

…what was she going to do NOW? Madre de dios!


	37. Mirror, Mirror, Part 3

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN**

**鏡、壁に鏡！方法****1****週間で男を失う…パート****3**

**Mirror, Mirror on the Wall! How To Lose A Guy In One Week…Part 3**

**--------------------------------------------------------**

Nick didn't like him.

There was just something about the experiment that made him cringe. Perhaps it was the fact that he was slightly bigger than most...perhaps it was the bright white eyes…or the swirling patterns on his body. In any case, this dark experiment rubbed his hands, looking gleeful at meeting them.

"I'm quite glad to see you've obtained all of the pieces." He told Jenny and Carmen. "And who are your friends?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. His book keeper, a teenager with a shirt that said "Psychotic" on the front looked intrigued as to their identity as well.

"This is Nick Grey." Jenny said, gesturing to Nick, who nodded politely. "His partner is experiment 621, Chopsuey."

Chopsuey leisurely scratched his stomach, then nodded as well. HE didn't seem to like Absolute either.

"Ah, I've heard about you. What a pleasure to meet you in person!" Absolute said, clapping his hands together and smiling gently. "It must be quite an honor to be the partner of the infamous 621." He asked Nick.

"Hey, hold on, Chops is not THAT infamous." Nick said.

Chops looked a bit guilty.

"He hasn't told you his whole history, has he?" Absolute asked. "He was almost as egocentric as me."

"Why would you WANT to admit to being-you know what, the fact that you're admitting it means you're one step closer to being cured." Nick said, waving his hand dismissively. "What exactly do you want from the mirror?"

"If you obtain all the pieces of the Mirror, you can make a wish!" Absolute told them. "Originally "Lightfoot" had a piece, but I took it from him. I told him that if he wanted in on the wishing deal, he'd have to go find another piece. Looks like he failed though."

"We came, we saw, we kicked his ass!" Nick laughed.

"So wait…what experimental number are you?" Chops inquired.

"Technically 000." Absolute remarked. "I would have been 623, but "rat boy" and "tubby" decided I was too dangerous so they did a number on me…and changed my number!" He laughed. "I went from absolute evil to absolute good. Well, as close as absolute evil and absolute good as a mortal can be." He explained, shrugging. "All of YOUR pieces are here, are they not?"

"Yeah. Where's yours?" Nick asked.

Absolute smiled. "Instead of TELLING you where it is, why don't I **show** you…"

…

…

…

…Absolute led them down a forest path, walking ahead with his partner. "You see, there's a VERY strong magnetic field in a ruin near the end of this forest." He told them all. "Using the magnetic field's power, we'll be able to combine YOUR pieces with mine, and TA-DA! It'll be put together just like THAT." He snapped his fingers to illustrate his point.

"_To think…soon we can be together forever!"_ Carmen thought. _"I'll wish to be with BOTH of them! For us to survive the fight and become TWO champions!"_

Absolute heard them speaking and smiled in a fashion that was almost sad. _"That's right…hold onto your dreams as long as you can, children."_

Soon it appeared. A big, hulking ruin with a large door. There were odd inscriptions all around the door that Nick vaguely recognized as being Japanese katakana.

Entering the doorway and going into a hallway that had candles lighting the path, they soon found themselves in a small room with an alchemic circle drawn in chalk on the ground. And there, before them, was a circular hole…

And a mirror piece was placed within.

"My piece is there. Put yours in." Absolute told them, pointing at the pedestal hole.

Nick and Jenny held their pieces up and placed them together. They began to quiver and slowly but surely began to move towards each other!

"Oooooh!" Jenny said, eyes going wide.

"And now…" Absolute smirked, and Nick saw his eyes turned red. **"It begins!"**

Before they could stop him, he snapped his fingers, and fire spread all around them. Then he concentrated, and before their eyes the ruins were BLASTED apart through the sky! Cackling madly, he leapt through the air and grabbed the mirror, giving it to his partner.

Did I say ALL of the ruins were gone? Not quite. One piece remained…which HE now stood atop of.

"Welcome my congregation…to the FINAL TESTAMENT!" He crowed, holding his hands up. "You've contributed quite well to my bright future…and now I will become the champion of all experiments!"

"_QUE_!?!" Carmen gasped.

"Jay, I think it's time we showed them, don't you?" Absolute inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Now you shall see the true power of the Trinity Mirror…BEHOLD!" His partner cried out, holding the mirror and Absolute's light-black book up. "**AUCTORITA!**"

Absolute's body glowed as his form grew even BIGGER. His eyes gained dark pupils, his muscles on his body bulged, his swirling began to come to life, moving continuously around on his body. Steel frames circled his chest and forearms, wireframe wings appeared on hi sback, a secondary pair of claws formed upon his wrists, and a metallic crown of horns appeared on his head.

"A god in spirit I was…and AND NOW A GOD IN FORM I HAVE BECOME!" He roared.

"You're just UGLIER." Nick snapped, pointing with a finger in an accusing fashion.

"Now you're going to see true power. Your torture shall be legendary!" Absolute crowed. He raised a clawed hand up and smiled coldly.

"**POTESTAS!**" Jay read out.

THUDDA-BOOOOOM! Absolute sent a fiery blast shaped like a missile right at the group! Quickly they dodged to the side in time, rolling away…but they gasped at the damage it had left behind…now the forest was alit with flames as sparks flew into the air…

"Sheesh, it's not just big words, he's become seriously strong!" Nick yelled.

"You horrid person!" Jenny yelled. "Using us for your own selfish gains!"

"_DIABLO_!" Carmen snarled, rushing forward, holding onto her maracas.

"Oh please. Your so-called "moral codes" are just inventions of man to keep others from having fun." Absolute spoke coldly. He raised his hand up again. "And taking me head on? Here I thought you were smarter than that."

"**VIRES!**" Jay called out.

"Carmen, NO!" Chops screamed as Absolute focused, and a strange beam of dark blue, psychic power rippled through the air from his head. Carmen quickly leapt through the air, spinning rapidly and dodging. Then she landed expertly on the ground before launching herself directly at Jay.

"BASTARDO!" She yelled.

"That's enough from YOU." Absolute spoke, frowning as his book keeper called out another spell. "**OPPRIMO!**"

THA-WHAM!

A telekinetic force slammed Carmen to the ground and she was unable to move, her body surrounded in a dark aura. Absolute calmly raised his hand. "You can die first." He said. "Such a waste of such a pretty body…"

"I'm not gonna let you!" Jenny said, rushing in front of Carmen and holding her body out, her book in the backpack she was wearing. "I will protect my sister!"

"Fine…you get to die together! I shall strike you down with my power on high!" He laughed.

"Oh no you DON'T, asshole!" Nick yelled as he held his book up.

"Your opponent…is ME!" Chops growled, jabbing his thumb at himself. "I'm not letting you pick on a little girl, you egocentric, blowhard of a COWARD!"

"**IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick hollered out as his book glowed. Chopsuey's fists shone and he swung them, sending the two emerald fist blasts at Absolute…

BUDDA-BAM!

Absolute flinched as the attacks hit his body, but then he raised an eyebrow. "Is that it?" He asked them.

"It didn't do JACK!?" Nick asked.

"Now then…Jay, help me burn this little witch." He requested, turning to Jay.

"**POTESTAS!**"

Jenny grit her teeth, fully expecting the end to come…but Carmen had leapt back up and pushed her out of the way…

…but in doing so, the backpack had been scorched, and the book…

Now had a small fire atop it.

"No…" Nick gasped.

"NO…" Chopsuey whispered.

"NOOOO!" Jenny howled, eyes going wide with horror. Carmen blinked in surprise as she saw the flame upon her book burn brightly. She turned to look at Jenny, who grabbed onto her and cried. "Carmen…no… **I won't let you go!** You _**CAN'T!**_" She sobbed, even as her body slowly began to vanish into pink light that was fading into the sky…

"Jenny…" Carmen whispered. Then she turned to Chopsuey. "Chops…babe, I…I wanted…to stay with choo and Jenny…because…_te quiero_…._te quiero tanto mucho_…" She said, tears slowly dribbling down from her beautiful blue eyes.

Chops realized he was crying too. "Carmen…please…please don't go…you can't…I…I wanted you to stay too…I wanted…wanted…"

He bit his lip. "I WANTED TO GO OUT WITH YOU! I wanted to play at the beach with you and sing and go to dinner and hold hands and see movies and kiss and hug and…and I wanted to promise you we'd always be together! You CAN'T go! I've liked you ever since we first met!" He sobbed as he ran to her side with Nick, holding onto one of her hands and gripping it tightly.

"You're my big sister…I don't wanna be alone!" Jenny insisted, shaking Carmen. "I don't wanna lose you, it's not FAIR!"

"I love choo so much, _mi hermana_…" Carmen said, reaching up and holding Jenny's cheek. "I wanted to stay with you as your sister…I wanted to make choo happy…but I think I have… _I No voy a olvidar, no siempre_…And you won't forget me. Jenny…please don't cry." She insisted, shaking her head as she cried, yet smiled gently. "Don't you remember? Carmen is Jenny's big sister!...right?"

"…right…RIGHT…" Jenny sobbed, burying her face in Carmen's chest.

"Carmen…Carmen…" Chops sobbed, holding both of Carmen's hands as best he could. "Don't leave me…PLEASE… I WON'T LET YOU GO!" He screamed.

"…I'm sorry everyone…but…it's time to say "_adios_". Choo take care of yourselves, okay? And…" Carmen laughed softly. "_Está toda mi familia_…you're all my _ohana_…and thank you…for everything…"

With a final smile, Carmen vanished into the air, and Jenny covered her eyes, sobbing pitifully as Chops's claws dug into the ground, his head lowered.

"She was weak. That was why she returned." Absolute remarked. "And if you think THAT'S the worst I can do, then I've yet to install true fear in you."

"…Absolute…" Nick said softly, fists clenched so hard the knuckles were almost popping out of the skin. "You…will never be forgiven…EVER! **NEVER, EVER, ****EVER****!**"

"How DARE YOU!" Chopsuey screamed.

"Why are YOU so annoyed? It is the fate of **ALL **in this fight to burn their opponent's books." Absolute told them.

"That doesn't mean ANYTHING!" Nick yelled, pointing at him.

"Hmm?" Absolute looked confused.

"You manipulated the innocent feelings of a little girl and her partner!" Nick yelled. "No…her SISTER! They believed your words! All they wanted was to be together like a family should be and you stomped on their pure feelings!"

"They faced so much…struggled for such a long time…helped us out for so long…and then you…YOU…." Chopsuey snarled.

"Amusing…but what do you think you can do against my power?" Absolute inquired. "I'm a God now."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Nick yelled. "You lied to a little girl! You burnt Carmen's book! And you feel NO REMORSE! Those who have no compassion…"

"Those who feel no pity or kindness…" Chopsuey whispered harshly as he stood by Nick's side.

They looked at him with eyes of steel, giving him a look that split the air with righteous fury. "Those who trample the pure hearts of others have NO RIGHT TO CALL THEMSELVES A CHAMPION, **LET ALONE A GOD!**"

"Idiots! Power is all, and it gives me the right to become a god. Here…let me demonstrate!" Absolute laughed.

"**OMNIPOTENS!**" Jay read out.

Absolute clapped his hands together, and suddenly the entire area within five miles SHOT up into the sky! It slowly whirled around like a floating asteroid as Absolute grinned evilly. "Now your survival…and HERS…" He added, gesturing at the still-sobbing Jenny, "Depends on beating my book keeper and I!"

"The difference between a monster and a god is that a monster can be KILLED." Nick growled angrily. "Let's see which one you are!"

"_**You will **__**NEVER**__** be forgiven!"**_ Chops yelled.


	38. Mirror, Mirror, Part 4

**CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT**

**鏡、壁に鏡！方法****1****週間で男を失う…パート****4**

**Mirror, Mirror on the Wall! How To Lose A Guy In One Week…Part 4**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------  
**

Then the two rushed forward, right at Absolute, who smirked. "Idiots!" He laughed. "You've got no chance against me!" He raised a hand up…

Then he was startled to see the two SPLIT UP! They swerved in different directions. "What on earth are you-"

"**IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick yelled.

Chopsuey launched a fist blast straight at Jay, but Absolute was quicker. He thrust his hand forward…

"**POTESTAS!**" Jay called out.

Absolute launched the fiery blast right at Chopsuey, and the two attacks collided…though it appeared that the fire blast had swallowed the other up.

"Ha! Roasted trog, anyone?" Absolute inquired.

"Gotcha, bitch!" Nick laughed.

Absolute looked up in time to see Chopsuey right above him!

"**IADEO-IEDO!**"

THA-WHUDDA-BOOOM!

Nick grinned. "YES, we…WHAT?!?"

The smoke from the blast cleared away, revealing that Chops's blast hadn't done anything…and now he was pinned to the ground by Absolute, who smirked.

"No more witty banter, 621?" Absolute inquired.

"RRRRR!!!" Chops managed to growl out.

"Nothing more to say? You thought you were clever, Mr. "IQ of 148"!" He told Nick, smirking. "But you just aren't that smart. I am the the alpha, the omega. I am not just an Experiment, I am truly a demon. I am the end of the your world, and of all governments, fair and just or tyrannical. I shall be the nexus of all minds in the universe!"

"Why on **EARTH **did you use Carmen and Jenny for your sick plan!?!" Chopsuey demanded.

"Fine, you can be told as a farewell present." Jay told them. "You see, the Trinity Mirror centers around bringing forth the power that comes from the three sides to every being, the ties one has to three alignments of, chaos, neutrality and order! The dark, the light, the in-between…or, to put it more simply, the Bestial, Diabolical, and the Human selves!"

"Trying to rely on the power of another "self" is incredibly dangerous." Absolute told them. "More often than not, that "self" would take over your original form. THAT'S where the mirror comes in…it combines all of your selves together, boosting their power and transforming you into a being of pure power! A demon might become an angel, a human might become a beast, an experiment…" Absolute smiled broadly. "A GOD."

"So we lied to the girl and Lightfoot and told them the mirror would grant wishes." Jay said calmly.

"How DARE you use a little girl…" Chops snarled, managing to roll out of Absolute's grip and jump back to Nick. He pointed with one clawed finger. "It's _unconscionable_!"

"One exploits an enemy's weaknesses and covers his own weaknesses." Absolute laughed. He then held up his clawed paws and roared happily. "Not that their power is necessary anymore! Look at this shape, this aura of power! I have the might of a GOD!"

"No you DON'T!" Nick yelled. "You don't have power or anything remotely like it! Any power that comes from something like THAT isn't power…we're better than you, Absolute! We were before and we still are now!"

"Oh really?" Absolute inquired. "What makes you say THAT?"

"I was discarded by my father, thought of as weak!" Chopsuey growled. "Then I met Nick and by fighting with him gained strength and a new purpose…not merely to defeat my brother, but to become just and fair! A GOOD champion!"

"I had nobody to care for me! No friends, a family who wanted almost nothing to do with me, and then Chopsuey stood by my side and I found the strength to take down beings that thought themselves GODS, just like YOU!" Nick proclaimed, pointing at Absolute. "We didn't rely on any magical macguffin!"

"We used our own strength to get this far!" Chops yelled. "We didn't rely on anything to cover up our weaknesses! We believed in each other and in doing good, and got stronger because of those beliefs! We were weak before because we were selfish…but then when we met each other, we had a chance to change, and we became STRONGER when we fought for others!"

"Somebody like you who fights only for himself…" Nick growled, clenching his fist.

Then both of them shouted out, at the same time…

"**WILL-NOT-WIN!**"

"Don't make me LAUGH." Absolute inquired. "This is the end for you I am the greatest experiment in this fight, a god among men…I will bring an end to your pathetic existences, and then to any resistance in this fight! I doubt you, even an ARMY could beat me at the level I've reached! I am Absolute evil, absolute power, the-!"

"Hello, class! The word for today is PAIN!"

CLAMP!

"THWA?!?"

Absolute's partner had been rudely grabbed from behind by none other than Mr. White, the albino teacher! His eyes widened. "WHAT?! A HUMAN, trying something!? How did you-"

"You're "absolute" alright…a giver of "Aboslutely Long Introductions"!!!"

THWOMPA!

Now ANOTHER person had appeared on the scene, grabbing HIM…and it was none other than the aura-wielding experiment Ahinahina!

"Wh-WHAT?!" Nick gasped in amazement. "Ahinahina? Mr. White? What the?!"

Absolute frowned. "You're annoyingly strong!" He growled to Ahinahina. "How is THIS possible?!"

"The mirror called to us!" Ahinahina laughed.

"And we answered!" White explained. "I am Nick's teacher and share a bond with him…"

"And his grandfather cared for me as family…Nick accepted me into his _ohana_!" Ahinahina told Absolute. "Even though I tried to slay them, they forgave me because they saw I wanted to change! Now I'm giving YOU a chance! Give up and walk the path of peace, Absolute!"

Absolute snarled. "Pest! The fun and games stop here!"

He swung his arms and knocked Ahinahina into Mr. White. He raised his hand at Nick and Chops.

"Die with this spell!"

"NO YOU DON'T!"

SLAM!

Jenny slammed full force into Jay, and the mirror fell through the air, hitting the ground hard.

"Carmen gave ME a chance to change too!" Jenny said, holding the mirror up. "I'm not just a little girl anymore! I won't cower in loneliness, but will kick ass just like she'd want me to!" She grinned. "I'll show you real girl power!"

THWACKA!

Jay bitch-slapped her across the face and she grabbed her cheek, dropping the mirror to the ground. He dove down and grabbed it, then rolled to the side. "HA! What do you think of THIS!"

He raised the book and the mirror up. "**TYRANNA-VALDE!**"

Absolute's body became surrounded in a burning black aura as he towered above them all, growing even larger. "I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU MATCH MY POWER NOW!" He inquired. "NOW I AM COMPLETE!"

"We might be fucked." Mr. White remarked.

"_Quite_ outta luck." Ahinahina mumbled.

"Now he's REALLY a devil, this TOTALLY sucks!" Jenny yelled.

"THIS WORLD WILL BE MINE, AND YOU'RE FIRST IN LINE!" Absolute laughed, throwing his head back and cackling madly.

"Oh yeah!?" Nick shouted. "If we win we're gonna send your dreams of ruling straight to hell! And guess what else, dear "cousin"…we'll make you GOOD as well!" He laughed.

Absolute thought this was incredibly amusing as he smirked broadly. "HA-HA-HA! I'M A GOD, I CAN DO WHAT I WANT!"

"The power he's got, he sure loves to flaunt!" Chops mumbled.

"Now it's time to blow door downs!"

"Time for a showdown!"

"Take THIS!" Nick yelled. His book glowed as he raised it high. "**KIMAIRAAA!**"

Chopsuey's body glowed brightly as it surged forth…an aura beast with a lion's head, an anaconda for a tail, sharp fangs and claws and draconic wings. It's fur bristled as it jumped forward and grappled with Absolute, and the two forces snarled.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Jay laughed. "With the mirror's power, there's nothing you can-"

Then he heard a "chink" sound and turned to look at the mirror…and saw cracks were spreading through it. "No…it was damaged when it fell!?" He gasped.

THA-WHOOM!

The mirror exploded into tiny little pieces right before his eyes, and he gasped in horror. "NO! It's not possible!"

"NO MATTER!" Absolute laughed. "I'VE USED MY STRONGEST SPELL, AND THE POWER OF THE MIRROR HAS AMPLIFIED IT! YOU CAN'T MATCH ME EVEN IF IT BROKE!" He told them condescendingly as he pushed the aura-made chimera back…

Then White and Ahinahina put their hands together on Nick's book and nodded at him. "Yeah, well…" Mr. White remarked.

"He's NOT alone." Ahinahina said.

"_Mis amigos van a patear el culo!_" Jenny swore in Spanish, clenching her fist.

_**"Hey antichrist! "Beelzeboss"! We know your weakness, we'll rock your socks!"**_ Michael White sang out.

"_**We'll rock the casba, and blow your mind!" **_Ahinahina laughed.

_**"We will defeat you…**__**FOR ALL MANKIND!**__** You hold the scepter…WE hold the key! You are the devil…we're **__**NMG!**__**"**_ The boy, the experiment and the man all sang out at the same time, their bodies glowing with a dozen different colors that swirled together and shot into the chimera in a shuddering beam of power.

And much to Absolute's horror, the chimera beast grew even LARGER as Chopsuey's body grinned with a wild joy. He laughed happily and punched the sky. "GET HIM!" He yelled to the chimera.

The chimera grew larger…larger…now it was as big as a small mountain. It raised a clawed paw in the air and with full force it slammed it down on Absolute.

"NO…THIS CAN'T BE! I DID MY _BEEEEESSSSTTTT_!!!" Absolute screamed…

…

…

…

…the dust settled…

Absolute stood there, his body now a ghostly white. He smiled gently at them as his body began to dissolve into white points of light that were flying into the air.

"Well…I guess…that you were right…I wasn't a god. I was just a monster…and now I'm something ELSE." He said quietly. Jay was unconscious, lying on the ground nearby. "I guess I've become something of an angel…"

He sighed. "My wish was to become strong…very, very strong…and the Trinity Mirror acted on that impulse when it merged the selves within me together. But…my darkest self must have risen to the top…because…" He bit his lip. "I just desired power to be as strong as possible…and that was the extent of my wish…that's a very selfish goal…I see that now." He shrugged. "I guess I was a f—kin' idiot, huh?"

"It's okay! Grudges are hard to hold in my world!" Nick laughed. "But…I get the feeling that for one brief moment…" He turned to White and Ahinahina. "We were connected…that…"

"I feel it too." White said. "I don't exactly know how, but I think our destinies are linked…"

"Yeah…" Ahinahina admitted. "But hey…Absolute…where are you going now?" He inquired. "Back to the lab?"

"…no." Absolute said. "There's another place I must go to." He said quietly. "My one true place. I've got new power now and I should go test it out!"

He walked over to Jay and lifted him up. "Jay's coming with me. He doesn't have anybody else to look after him…"

He waved goodbye. "So I'll come and visit sometime…" He told them. "So long! Oh, and maybe when you look up at the moon, you might see a few things carved into it just because I can…"

He looked up into the sky and grinned. "YEEEEHHHAAAAA!" He shouted as he and Jay soared into the air on a shaft of light…and finally vanished.

"…he's kinda nuts…but I think I like his new self a whole lot better than his other one!" Nick admitted.

"No kidding." Chops told them.

…

…

…

…Jenny rubbed the back of her neck as she looked at the ground. "Nick…Chops…Mr. White…Ahinahina…"

They were all at Nick's house, outside the porch. Nick was biting his lip as Jenny continued to speak. "You all did so much to help me…but now I have to get stronger just as YOU guys got stronger." She nodded her head at them. "It's what Carmen would have wanted."

Ahinahina gently patted her on the arm, nodding understandingly.

"You…you really think you're alright without her?" Nick asked quietly.

"No…but I WILL be." Jenny told them, wiping some final tears from her eyes. "I have a family to help me through it…my mom and dad will be sad to hear what happened to Carmen, but…we'll make it through somehow."

"That's it, girl." Mr. White said, nodding. "You've got to be brave, alright?"

Chopsuey was quiet, his body shaking madly.

"I…I'm going to miss her…" He said quietly. "And you too…"

Jenny hugged him, but he bit his lip as tears streamed down his cheeks. "No, don't…don't hug me…I'll get you wet…"

"_GET__ me wet!_" Jenny laughed gently.

…

…

…

…Nick waved goodbye to Mr. White and Ahinahina as they walked Jenny back to her house and turned back to Chopsuey.

"Chops."

Chops turned around and a final tear went down his cheek. "I…am NEVER…gonna forget her…" He said quietly.

"…I won't either." Nick said quietly. "Now we have another person to fight for." He said, taking Chops's hand and putting another hand on the top. "And she's not really gone…right?"

Chops nodded, and looked up at the sky with Nick. "No…she's not! Because Carmen…_is Chopsuey's true love!_"

**Review, please! And in case you don't know, Absolute is avatarjk137's creation. Enjoy this preview of the next chapter as well!**

**Nick: Who on EARTH is this guy? He can't be Dr. Rupert!**

**???: I'm his brother...and I'm here for one purpose, _kinder_. A match!**

**Chopsuey: Whaddya MEAN you knew about what happened at the ruins?**

**Nick: Do you not care at ALL that innocent people were brainwashed?!**

**???: Today, you LOSE! Or you WILL on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!  
**


	39. The Fight Against the Death Doctor!

**CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE**

**目的を見つける！死の医者との戦い！**

**Find Your Purpose! The Fight against the Death Doctor!**

**----------------------------------------------  
**

Chopsuey had been thinking about Carmen for a long, long time.

It had been two weeks since she'd left and neither he nor Jenny had gotten over it at a decent level. And Nick?

He got distracted at school, would often go out for long walks and not come back until much, much later, and would frequently forget to shower.

Luckily for them, Heartwing and Dude were always there to cheer them up.

"Come on dude, let it out."

Chopsuey put down his little sack and looked away as he began to pace around in Dude's home. Dude has a house filled to the brim with old '60's stuff, a stereo that was playing Jimi Hendrix's performance at Woodstock, and his front doorway had beads hanging down from the top of said doorway. There were about eighteen posters on the wall, the most prominent being a "Everybody Knows S—t Happens", showing how every religion had their own version of "S—t Happens". For Zen followers, "What is the sound of s—t" happening, for Atheists it was "I don't believe this s—t", for Catholics it was "If s—t happens, you deserve it", and funniest of all, for surrealists, "Fish happens"!

"Come on man, talk to me." Dude insisted.

"I don't feel like talking about it." Chopsuey mumbled, his pack slung over his shoulder. Heartwing sighed and went into the kitchen to make them cookies.

"It's uncool to keep your feelings bottled up, dude." Dude went on.

"Look, I'm just gonna go…"

Chopsuey then stepped forward, Dude tried to stop him and BOTH collided with each other, falling down. A few moments later they looked up and saw something had fallen.

"My pot!" "My pot!"  
"YOUR pot?!" "YOUR pot?!"

…

…

…

… "And…and she…she was just the greatest thing that ever happened to me and I never even told her that!" Chops sobbed out, his eyes red more from tears than from the marijuana.

"Shh, shh…it's okay…" Dude said, hugging him gently as Chops sobbed into his body. Heartwing held up a tray of cookies and they chewed on them quietly, looking intently down at it.

"I know it feels like things are awful right now, but it's gonna change." Dude went on.

"Y-You think so?" Chops asked.

"I KNOW so. You're gonna get stronger because of this. For HER sake and for Nick, because he needs you right now." Dude told him, nodding.

"…you're right…he DOES need my help." Chopsuey realized.

DING-DONG!

Heartwing opened up the door and gaped at the sight.

"_Guten Tag_." The rabbit/hamster/gerbil-like alien said, waving at him. "Is experiment 621 here?"

Chops turned his head. "…doctor? Dr. Rupert?"

"Oh no, I am Dr. Jacques Rupert von Hamsterviel. Rupert is my brother, you see." The rabbit told them. He wore an impressively large labcoat for his size and had a red scarf around his neck. "I DO hope you'll take it easy on my partner and I…" He intoned.

Chopsuey blinked. This person seemed as physically weak as Dr. Rupert…that doctor had at least looked stylish in his jacket, but this one…he seemed so…PLAIN. And his voice was kinda…whiny.

Suddenly Heartwing leapt back, growling fiercely as his body bristled. "HIKU, HIKU! EVIL, EVIL!" He shouted.

Chopsuey blinked. "What's going on?" He asked Heartwing. He turned back to Dude…

And saw Dude was shivering in fear. "This guy…he's got…he's got BAD mojo comin' from him, man…"

Chopsuey rubbed his head. "Don't be silly, he's just-" Then he took a sniff of the air, and his eyes went wide. This opponent…

"You smell like DEATH." He said softly, dangerously as he turned to Dr. Jacques, pointing with one claw.

"My apologies, then." Dr. Jacques said, bowing deeply. "In my career as a scientist, I watched many people die because of my work, whether I wanted to or not…"

"You're a scientist?" Chops asked.

"I used to be a doctor too, but…" Dr. Jacques looked to the side slightly. "I lost a battle to Death." He admitted.

This got them to shiver. "DEATH?"

"Yes, yes."

Another person appeared. A small, squat body, four eyes, big nose…it resembled a miniature Jumba, in a sense…it even had a few hairs that stuck out at the top of it's head. "I'm Jumby, his assistant. He told me the story as well." Jumby inquired. "You'll see soon enough…"

Suddenly Dr. Jacques held up a small tranquilizer gun and smirked. "Now hold VERY still…"

SCWHOOP!

…

…

…

… "Ugh…"

Chopsuey woke up with a headache. Rubbing his sore head, he looked up to see he was stranded in the middle of a warehouse with many boxes lying around.

And Nick was lying by his side, unconscious.

"NICK?!" Chops shook him desperately. "NICK!!!"

"Don't worry, I just put him to sleep. He'll awaken soon enough."

Chops turned his head to see Dr. Jacques standing there, holding onto a light purple book as Jumby was carrying a box of medical tools. The doctor smiled coldly and went on. "You see, I got quite interested in this fight to determine what it was that makes people able to read the books. I wondered at first…" He raised a digit in the air. "If it was dumb luck…but being a scientist, I couldn't accept that notion, so I did more research for every fight I took place in. I began to wonder if perhaps it was something to do with their physical or mental strength. Unfortunately…"

He shrugged. "For all the opponent's I've examined, there's not really BEEN something that seems to be reliably similar. There's been so many weaklings, and not merely in physical form either…I've found many a _dummkopf_ to be wielders of the books so…" He smirked evilly. "I believe it's something on the GENETIC level…and that's why I'm going to dissect your partner once I've sent you back to my old friend's lab."

"You knew Jumba too?"

Dr. Jacques blinked as Nick stood up, frowning angrily. "You're awake? You're stronger than I surmised. Yes, my brother and I both knew him. But that's not important right now…" He said, waving his hand dismissively. "You must be very frightened with the fate I will impose on you. As a doctor, it's my duty to end your pain and let you receive a death that is with as little suffering as possible."

"Don't treat me lightly!" Nick said, standing up. "I've gotten pretty far with Chops by my side!"

"You are just little _kinder_." Dr. Jacques said. "Yet I saw your fights against the fanon line and was impressed by your endurance."

Nick and Chopsuey froze.

"…you saw…the fights?"

"You KNEW about what was happening?!"

"Technically I'M the one who saw them and reported them back." Jumby told them. "My power is centered around technopathy. I can talk to machines…among other things." He smiled proudly. "It was easy for me to hide myself and watch the fights! I tracked you down because I…like some other experiments…have a special "radar" inside my body."

Nick growled, clenching his fist. "You KNEW about Shadow's evil and did nothing to help?!"

"Of course not." Jumby said, giving him a look like he was retarded. "Your chances of winning were that of **5%! **Why would I help in that kind of skirmish?"

_"Innocent people were being brainwashed!"_ Chopsuey yelled angrily.

"Like I CARE." The purple experiment snapped, rolling his eyes. "JACQUES!"

"**KIKAIGO!**" Dr. Jacques read out.

Jumby's body surged with a silver shine as he raised his hands and was encased in a metallic sheen of armor that came whizzing out from the boxes around him. He grinned and crackled his knuckles. "That battle had nothing to do with becoming the champion of all experiments. You're foolish, naïve and stupid! You wasted your time on a reckless battle…but I took my time and STORED my power…and now I have the strength to annihilate you!"

"All you did was get shiny! I'm not scared of that!" Nick yelled. Luckily Jacques had let him keep his backpack…with the book inside! He held the book up. "**IADEO-IEDO!**"

Chopsuey swung his fists and the two fist blasts shot forward…

KABOING!

They bounced straight off of Jumby, who smirked. "Was that a LOVE TAP?!" He asked.

"Grr…" Nick growled.

"**MAJIN-MISAIRU!**" Dr. Jacques read from the book. Jumby's chest armor opened, and a pointed missile with a big, red tip flew out from the armor, aimed RIGHT at them!

"**ADVERSOR!**" Nick yelled.

Chopsuey slammed his fists into the ground and created a glowing green shield. But Jumby raised a finger. "Alright! Detach!" He ordered.

The top of the missile came off…spinning through the air it struck the shield, dissolving it into nothingness…and then the missle launched right at Nick and Chops!

"YIKES!" Nick shouted. "It can do that!?!"

Chopsuey, however, wasn't deterred. He leapt up into the air and PUNCHED the missile, and although it exploded in his face, making his Mohawk flutter rapidly and his body become covered in some bruises and soot…he stood his ground.

"So…you're stronger than the data describes…" Jumby thought to himself.

"You remind me of myself at a young age." Dr. Jacques laughed at Nick. "I wanted to be a doctor of science so I could create new beings! The feeling of holding something you brought into the world, something that can live…that joy was what I lived for. But my experiments kept on dying…" He frowned. "Too early…far too early…"

He slammed his palm on his book. "There was no point to it! No point to their lives! Born only to die?!? So I teamed up with Jumba and Rupert…I sought to create creatures that would live beyond their normal life spans! But even THEN my work was for naught! Increasing strength, mental capacity, adding different enhancements for the bodies, NOTHING worked! No design lasted longer…so I came to a conclusion…"

He held the book up. "It was the genetic code within them that doomed them! Our DNA tells us when we shall die, so I will crack it's secrets completely…and I'll _begin_ by finding the gene that allows beings to read the books!" He yelled. "**OOGATAKI!**"

Jumby's body sent out a wave of pulsing energy and more metallic parts flew out…this time from the walls of the warehouse! They attached to his body, forming a helmet with a visor, a large, muscular chest, spiked knuckles on his fist and large boots. And, most noticeably of all, a jet pack on his back!

"A jet pack?"

"Yes, this spell is "the bee's knees", isn't it?" Jumby inquired.

"I've got a spell that'll one-up you!" Chops laughed.

**"IMPERIUM!"** Nick yelled. A rainbow aura surrounded Chopsuey as his body grew slightly bigger along with his claws and muscles. He rushed forward…

**"FULL THROTTLE!" **Jumby laughed.

Chops had time to gasp as Jumby swirled around him with as much ease as waving a hand. The green experiment tried to do a jumping kick at Jumby, but the purple experiment just maneuvered out of the way as easily as he had before! It became a strange dance…Chops tried to turn to whack Jumby, Jumby was always right behind him.

"He's so FAST!" Nick gasped.

THWOOOM!

Chopsuey was sent flying into Nick and the two collapsed in a ball. "He's so STRONG." Chops added, getting back up and rushing forward. Now he and Jumby grappled. "But you won't beat me, you selfish little fatty! I can't forgive somebody who allowed such cruelty like that at the ruins to take place!"

Jumby just smirked, and Chops found his hands were being CRUSHED in Jumby's armored grip. "You risked your life for those people…and what happened? You lost a friend and all you GAINED was a single spell. And even though you know the "Percutio" spell, you can't hit me…YOU'VE LOST!" He laughed.

But then Chopsuey's eyes became like steel and Jumby found himself being pushed back. "Wh-WHAT? Not possible! The data shows I'm stronger than you!"

"_You don't get it…"_ Nick thought. _"We've gotten better at reading an opponent…and the seventh spell is going to hit you, whether you've got transforming power or NOT!"_

He held his book up. **"The Seventh Spell…PERCUTIO!"** He roared.

Chopsuey tossed Jumby into the air and his extra arms popped out. Grinning, he formed a metallic ball and kicked it STRAIGHT into Jumby, and the ball sank into Jumby, the armor on the purple experiment's body not doing a THING to protect him.

"AAA!" Dr. Jacques gasped as Jumby hit the ground, groaning. "Quick, stand down and get back over here! If they use "Kimaira", then you're in deep schisse!..."

Then he grinned evilly. "Wait…we'll simply use a spell that forces you to use your trump card to stop it! **KIKANJUU**!"

Jumby's fists opened up as he stood up. Then his CHEST opened, and then, behind his visor, they saw a grin. The opened metallic parts revealed small carbines made for pumping out energy…now they fired all at once, sending a huge stream of combined laser energy right at Chops!

"**PERCUTIO!**" Nick yelled.

THWOOMP! Chopsuey kicked another metallic ball at the beam and it slowed as the ball rippled through it…

"**IADEO-IEDO!!!**" Nick shouted.

Chopsuey swung both his fists and the energy blasts soared through the air. A moment later…

BA-BOOOM!

Much to Dr. Jacques and Jumby's horror, their laser attack dissolved into nothingness after a large explosion rocked the air. They quivered in fright as Nick and Chops dusted themselves off.

"We've gotten a LOT stronger than you think we have…" Nick said quietly.

"We stored up our power to beat you, kinder." Dr. Jacques told him disapprovingly, waving a paw digit in the air. "You shall see soon enough…"

He held his book up. **"KAGAKUGIJUTSU!"** He read out.

Right before Chops and Nick's eyes, Jumby's body changed once again. Now he sat down on the ground and closed his eyes, and large pieces of metal floated around him, reforming themselves and attaching to him. In a few moments he'd changed…now his lower body resembled that of a flying saucer, while his upper body looked like a muscular ogre with a large space-man helmet to show his grinning face off. He gave them a smirk as mirrors rose around him, slowly circling his body like he was the Earth and they were many moons.

"These shields will guard against all your attacks…even Kimaira!" Jumby laughed. "And I can also slice and dice you with them. It's your fate to lose, experiment 621, and you too, Mr. Grey!"

"If you try to actually ATTACK, then _Du bist dumm wie drei Meter Feldweg._" Dr. Jacques told Nick, insulting him.

"Call me a fool for fun!" Nick laughed. He pointed at one of the mirrors. "I'll just break them, one by one! **PERCUTIO!**"

Chopsuey flung ANOTHER ball, this time it struck the mirror Nick pointed at and was…actually ABSORBED into it!

"So it works on inanimate objects too!" Dr. Jacques inquired, rubbing his chin. "Curious, but that's all…"

"Chops, I've got an idea." Nick laughed. "Two words, bub!"

Chops nodded as Nick lifted him up.

"_**Was zum Teufel?**_" Dr. Jacques snapped.

WOOSH! Nick threw Chopsuey as hard as he could and Chopsuey whizzed through the air, aimed right at Jumby, who frowned.

"Such a pedestrian approach." He remarked, snapping his fingers as another mirror appeared in the way…

"**PERCUTIO!**" Nick read.

TWHOOMP! Chopsuey righted himself in midair and kicked both himself back, and the ball. ANOTHER mirror was struck!

"Fine then…now I'll attack your book owner directly." Jumby snapped, raised a hand. ANOTHER mirror sailed forth, this time aiming to crush Nick! But Nick was quicker, her leapt to the side as Chopsuey aimed again…

"**PERCUTIO!**"

TWHOOMP! ANOTHER mirror struck!

"What ARE they up to?" Jacques inquired.

"No matter…I'll use all of my mirrors now!" Jumby yelled, lining them up. "Now GO!"

He pointed forward and the mirrors rushed at Nick…

Who raised his book, smiling proudly as Chopsuey stood in front of him. "Gotcha, bitch!" He laughed. "**KIMAIRA!**"

Chopsuey's body surged as he called forth the aura chimera, who rushed forward…and the first mirror it hit was a Percutio-struck mirror that was sailing at the front. As a result, it grew bigger…

"Uh oh…"

Now it was knocking other mirrors aside as it struck ANOTHER Percutio-struck mirror and getting BIGGER.

"So it's a chain reaction…if Percutio hits multiple targets and Kimaira hits them one at a time, it grows bigger and bigger…" The "Death Doctor" realized with a sense of horror.

"…oh foo." Jumby moaned as the chimera grew to a level as big as train. It grinned evilly down at him and POUNCED!

BUDDA-WOOOOOOWWWWW!

…

…

…

… "Alright…we lost…" Jumby muttered.

He was laying in a bruised pile, his body turning into purple points of light as his Muridean book keeper sighed and sat near him, the book burning up.

"But all of the other competitors left are REALLY dangerous." Jumby warned them. "Do you really think you can match them?"

Chops and Nick looked at each other, then nodded. "We'll keep fighting. It doesn't matter how strong the bad guys are." Nick said.

"We'll fight with all our potential, and if that's not enough, we'll get stronger and stronger!" Chops said, clenching his fist.

"…I see…" Dr. Jacques realized. "There IS something all of the book keepers have in common with their partners…a certain will… a heart that desires something strongly." He said quietly. "What is YOUR desire?" He asked Chops.

"To become a just and fair champion who won't let fights like this happen on Earth anymore…too many innocent people can be hurt!" Chops insisted, clenching his fist.

"And I'm going to help him in every way I can, and become stronger as a result!" Nick added.

"…that's really…rather beautiful…" Dr. Jacques admitted softly. "…but aren't you saddened by the idea that once this fight is over, your partner will be gone?"

"If good things lasted forever, would we appreciate them as much?" Nick asked quietly.

"…no. We wouldn't." Dr. Jacques admitted. "…you remind me of my brother. Heh…" He found tears streaming down his cheeks. "You're right…you're right…"

"It's not that I was weak…you guys simply have a different power than I. I respect that…and since you beat us…there's something you deserve to know." Jumby admitted quietly, rubbing his head. "I felt something a few days ago…a blip in my radar. It FEELS experimental in nature, but it's far too off the scales to be "possible"…it's an impossibility that somehow still exists…"

Nick and Chops blinked in surprise.

"I don't know what it means…but it's not my problem anymore. If I couldn't figure it out, I don't know if YOU could, but by all means, try…because this impossible thing feels very, very scary to me…" Jumby admitted right before he vanished into the air…

**Review! And enjoy this preview!**

**Heartwing: Oooh!**

**Nick: Who's your new friend?**

**Clyde: The name's Clyde. Have ya seen my partner anywhere?**

**Chopsuey: We'd love to help, but some experiment is trying to FILLET us!**

**???: You haven't a prayer, user of Kimaira! Prepare for your end on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	40. A Will As Strong As Iron!

**CHAPTER FORTY**

**として鉄のように強い意志！クライドは、スチールアーム！**

**A Will as Strong as Iron: Clyde, Wielder of the Steel Arm!**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"So…this is the place, huh? I've heard a lot about it, and I guess the rumors were true. It really is a purdy little town…"

"I can smell the fragrance of beautiful blossoms on the wind."

"Really?...I just smell bakeries and…mmm…that smells NICE…"

"It's the ocean waves combined with the scent of the town. This will be a good place to spend the night, don't you think?"

"Yeah, a little sight-seeing! It'd be a real shame if we didn't do nuttin' but drive around the states lookin' fer my partner…"

"…"

"My OTHER partner! You're a great book-readin' partner, Presley! Honestly!"

"Well we need MONEY if we're gonna spend the night."

"No problem!"

"You're NOT taking money from me!"

"AWWWW!"

…

…

…

…he was a bear-like experiment with a rounded lantern jaw. He wore a jacket and had a yellow body with short, stubby antennae. He looked rather large but also quite strong, and had glittering black eyes with a left arm made of metal. He sighed as he hunched over in sorrow, groaning as he trudged along the ground in the park.

"Maaaaan…" He moaned. "This is ridiculous…" He said. "Ain't got no place where I can work, ain't got no food…ain't got no home…and half the people who sees me run off ta go call the fuzz."

He kicked the ground, then flopped onto a park bench. "I can't steal from nobody widdout Bonnie…and I ain't the type ta beat up somebody and take their stuff…especially not a lady…a feller can't soak a lady…"

He rolled on his back, sighing as he reached into his jacket. "All I've got is some fuzz from my jacket, twenty bucks, and a gumball…that ain't enough to buy a room for the night AND dinner…"

Then he sniffed the air…and his eyes went wide.

"I know that smell…" He realized slowly. "CORN DOGS!" He gasped happily.

He quickly bolted upright and looked around. Where was that smell coming from?

…

…

…

… "Moku-moku-moku!"

Heartwing was in the park, having a picnic lunch with Dude. Well…he HAD been having it with Dude. Dude had unfortunately been struck down with a bad case of the bum's rush, and was now in the porta-potty on the other end of the park. Heartwing was nibbling on his corn dog, happily enjoying his meal but still wishing Dude would come back.

Then he heard a noise and turned around…just in time to see somebody going through his picnic basket.

A BEAR? In a jacket? He thought Yogi Bear wore a HAT, not a jacket.

"HMM!" Heartwing frowned as he slapped the bear's hand out of the basket. "HYUPO!"

"Whuzzat supposed to mean! I'm STARVING. Lemme have ona yer sandwiches!" The bear demanded, clenching his fist.

"MUUUUN!" Heartwing cried, leaping onto him. _Take this, you thief_, he thought as the two rolled around, biting, punching and kicking.

A few moments later they collided with a tree. BAM!

"…uuuugh…"

"Zuki…"

The bear stood up. "Oh YEAH!? Well I'll bet you're not as strong as me! Take THIS!"

He aimed a punch at Heartwing, who thrust his own fist out…

BA-WUDDAAAAA!

"…you…might be as strong as me…" The bear mumbled, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"….OWIE…" Heartwing moaned as he nursed his hand.

"Fine! We'll settle this the old-fashioned way, the way me and my partner used to do it…" The bear growled as he grabbed Heartwing's hand and tugged him out of the park and across the street…

FWOOMP!

"Two of your biggest ice cream sundaes and STAT!" The bear growled at a waitress.

Not wanting confrontation, the waitress ran back into the kitchen and soon two "King Kong" vanilla sundaes with chocolate syrup, bananas and a cherry on top were before them. Heartwing blinked as the bear began to shovel chunks of the ice cream in his mouth with his fork. Not wanting to be outdone, Heartwing just launched his face into the sundae and began to "glorf" it down.

…now then class…what happens when you eat too much ice cream too fast?

That's right. Ice cream headache!

"OOOOOOOHHH!!!" The bear howled, holding his head.

"AAAAAAAAAA!!!" Heartwing yelled.

They ran out of the restaurant, holding their heads and collapsing in front of a plain-clothes officer. "Oh god, the PAIN!" The bear yelled.

"OWIE, OWIE!"

"…what on Earth?" The officer wondered.

"They dined and dashed me, they chewed and screwed me, they sip and skipped me!" The owner of the ice cream store yelled as he emerged from the store, shaking his fist.

"…uh, what?" Officer Kiule asked.

"They didn't pay for their ice cream!"

"Oh boy." Clyde gasped as he grabbed the dragon's hand. "RUN!"

…

…

…

… "I shoulda figured you were an experiment." He mumbled. "You know, you're the first one I've encountered since I've been here. I've been travelling all across the states and ain't met any others but you." Clyde said as he and Heartwing sat in the same cell in the Kokaua Town Jail. "I'm Clyde, by the way. I hope my partner gets here in time to bail us out…"

"Hiya-hiya…" Heartwing mumbled.

"Er…I don't speak…whatever language you're speakin'." Clyde said as he tilted his head. "But do you know an experiment named Bonnie? I've been lookin' fer her all this time…"

Heartwing shook his head. He seemed apologetic.

"It's okay." Clyde said. "No other humans seem to have seen her. She and I are partners…we go way back…" He looked up, out the window of the cell and sighed sadly. "She's really important ta me…"

Heartwing suddenly hugged him. Clyde realized that the little guy was smiling gently, eyes closed as he squeezed the bear-like experiment.

"He…he's so WARM." Clyde realized. And he could FEEL the emotions coming from Heartwing…sympathy and love…

This was a kind being, he thought to himself. A real nice guy.

"Hey!"

Clyde turned his head and saw a man with long, shaggy hair entering the hallway of the jail. "Heartwing, if ya'd told me you wanted to bring friends to Nick's house, I woulda told Nick ahead of time! So what's your name, dude?"

"…er…Clyde…"

"Groovy! I'm Dude, dude." Dude told him. "Don't worry, I posted bail…AND I've got a place you can sleep!"

…

…

…

… "This is the most unusual movie night I've ever had." Nick admitted.

"Nice to meetcha!" Clyde said, waving with his metallic hand.

"Yo. I'm Presley." Presley said. He wore sunglasses, black hair, a sequined jacket and flashy pants. He was DEFINITELY an Elvis impersonator.

Heartwing clapped his hands. "Waku-waku-waku-wakuuu!"

"Little dude's hungry! Bring on the grub!" Dude laughed.

"Well, it's a good thing the pizza place delivers so fast." Chopsuey said, holding up the phone. "Hello? "Wicked Good Pizza"? I've got an order for you…"

"Sure, what do you want on the pizzas?" The man at the other end of the line inquired.

"What do you guys want? Pepperoni? Cheese? Peppers? Maybe Hawaiian-style?" Chops asked them.

"Oh, I want anchovies and pepperoni…"

"I want onions and mushrooms!"

"I want thick crust with cheese. "

"I want lots and lots of peppers!"

"…uh…" Chopsuey dropped the phone, sweat-dropping.

"One "family special", coming up." The man at the other end said from the receiver.

…

…

…

…Nick watched as the others ate themselves silly in the kitchen. He smiled before turning back to the TV, trying to set up the DVD player.

"Let's see…how do I do this again?"

"First you pick up the DVD and look at it. Then you fiddle around with the buttons on the front of the DVD player. Then you look at the wires in the back. Then you pick up the remote and kind of stare at it for awhile." Presley laughed as he entered theroom.

"Okay, how SHOULD I do this?" Nick remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Aw, I didn't get down to the point where you get on your knees and pray! But seriously…" Presley crossed his arms. "We're your enemies, aren't we? In this fight it's a 100-man-brawl, everyone for themselves…"

"Well Heartwing thinks you're good guys." Nick said. "And I trust that little dragon."

"So…have you been doing this for a while?" Presley inquired, tilting his head to the side.

"Yeah, probably more than the others. We fight when we have to, but you seem like nice guys. Strong, yeah, but nice, so it's not necessary to fight." Nick insisted, putting the DVD in and figuring out the controls.

"Ha-ha-ha!" Presley laughed, rubbing his head. "You're a good kid! You're right, we're nice people. We don't fight either…we're just lookin' for Clyde's old partner, Bonnie." Presley took out a comb and brushed his hair back some. "I met him back in Vegas. He was searchin' all over and asked me if I could help him when he walked into my chapel. I couldn't help myself!" He grinned as he took out a hair gel packet from his jacket pocket and used it on his hair. "He had checked into the Heartbreak Hotel and he needed to find her, so I said "Listen here, little man…I'm gonna get your girl back for you" and ever since we've been travelling together."

"What's his function?" Nick asked.

"He's a thief." Presley admitted, putting the last touches on his gel. "But he's no good without Bonnie…he's completely lost his spirit when it comes to that stuff. The two need each other to pull of any heists…they're really close, apparently."

"Well you guys are more than welcome to stay as long as you like!" Nick said happily. "Now come on…tonight we're watching "The Incredibles"!"

As he turned on the TV, which was on the news station, he saw something just before he hit the "Play" button on the DVD, which stopped him cold.

It was something very, very odd looking…

A HUGE structure…a grey thing with metallic bars hanging down from it, with strange bumps near one point of it and a strangely rounded slope near the top…and, most oddly enough, buildings at the top of it which appeared to be VERY weird…

"What the heck is THAT?!" Nick gasped.

"There has been no word as to WHAT this object you see here is, however it is NOT, repeat, NOT an illusion or projection. We'll bring you more news as it comes." The newsman reported.

_"…hmm…"_ Nick thought as he pressed "Play" on the DVD machine and called the others in. _"Hmmmmm…"_

…

…

…

…that night, Heartwing, Dude, Presley and Clyde were fast asleep.

Nick and Chops were not…

And neither was the experiment outside of their window who stood there, looking intently at them. He had a violin strapped to his back, and green hair, with a large fringe covering one of his blue eyes. His tail was that of a bowstring, and he had green markings on his body that were the same color as his hair…the same green markings covered his stomach, encompassed his tail AND his hands. He smiled in a small fashion.

"So you heard my little elegy? I'm grateful. Now allow me to introduce myself, Mr. Grey. I am 080, Dan. I wish to have a fight with you by the river, since it's a nice, secluded area." He said, speaking with a sophisticated tone of an intellectual. "I know there are two other experiments within, but YOU'RE the ones me and my partner Charlie are interested in."

Charlie was a blond-haired, blue-eyed little boy that appeared to be only 6…and he currently held aloft the book that was the same color of chartreuse yellow as Dan's body.

"And if you even THINK of bringing the others into it, I am going to have to make your friends very…"Dan raised a cautionary claw. "UNHAPPY…"

Nick frowned and crossed his arms. "Oh, we won't involve anyone else…" He said quietly. "But I'm gonna make you regret waking us up at this time of night…"

…

…

…

…they'd made it to the river. It babbled slightly as a small wind blew and the stars twinkled lazily overhead. Dan held his violin and right before their eyes began to play a short little melody.

"…uh…what are you doing?" Nick asked.

"Do you know that in Japan, it is possible for a weapon to be hidden in an umbrella?" Dan inquired. "Impressive skill is required for such a fighting technique. I have a similar technique that is equally impressive"

He walked back and placed his violin in a case by Charlie's side, then raised his tail up. Before their eyes, it BULGED and became a sharp-crested blade!

"Don't worry, I'll make this quick, child." Dan told Nick. "I'm not a common murderer, so I wouldn't have slain you two in your homes."

"Why would you want to kill us anyhow!?" Nick asked, horrified.

"You wield the power of Kimaira…THAT'S WHY!" Dan yelled, rushing forward with surprising speed.

"Huh-whuh?!" Nick remarked, doing a double-take.

"**TAGLIO!**" Dan's book keeper read.

Dan's tail blade sliced forward, sending a sword-tip-shaped burst of energy right at our heroes! Quickly Nick opened his book and read a spell. "**IADEO-IEDO!**"

THWUDDA-WOOM!

The strike from Dan's tail blade was stopped, and a cloud of dust formed, choking the air. Then Chops saw the glint of steel and quickly raised his hands just in time to block Dan's tail blade as it came down in an attempt to lop off his head.

"Hmm…I guess I cannot slay you with my blade alone. Do you like the enhancement?" He asked 621.

"I preferred it when you were the shy one who took requests!" Chops growled. "I liked you a _**lot**_ better than!"

"We've all changed somewhat!" Dan laughed softly. "You too, 621…"

He jumped back as Charlie read another spell out. "**FALDA!**" Now Dan's tail became encased in a burning yellow blaze of energy…

"Hoo boy!" Nick said, holding up his own book. "**IMPERIUM!**" He yelled, empowering Chopsuey, who rushed forward at Dan.

"Why do you care about Kimaira anyway?!" Chops demanded as he danced around Dan's tail blade, trying to avoid it.

"Do you think it's just a NORMAL spell?" Dan asked, looking annoyed. He then did a whirling kick and knocked Chops back as he clenched his claws and pointed at Nick. "Besides that strange object that appeared a short time ago, I can't let THIS threat resolve itself either!" He yelled.

"You mean that freaky structure?" Nick asked. "The one I saw on the news?"

"You only see a _structure_?" Dan asked, one eyebrow arched in amusement. He laughed softly. "So you don't know anything about that OR the power of Kimaira…I suppose I'd best end this fight immediately…"

Chops leapt forward, still empowered by Imperium, but…

"**DIOFOCHE-ACCIAIO!**" Charlie read from the book.

Before Nick could do anything, Chops let out a horrid gasp as blood spat from his mouth…he was impaled through the top of his head and his body by a sword made of glowing golden energy. He gasped and fell to the ground, twitching, but not dead…he was STILL alive…

"CHOPS, NO!" Nick yelled, rushing forward. But before he could go to his friend, Dan was in his face…

"This is where it ends." Dan said softly.

"NO!" Chops yelled, suddenly jumping over Dan and getting in front of him. "Leave him be!"

"…protecting him to the very end? That's noble of you." Dan admitted, clapping his hands. "You deserve to die gloriously."

He raised his tail blade back up as Charlie raised his book again. "**DIOFOCHE-ACCIAIO!**"

Nick gulped. Chops growled…

"**TOUZUKU!**"

THW-WUDDA!

Dan had time to gasp as Clyde's metallic fist found his face and he was sent flying back to Charlie's side. He spat out a tooth as Clyde turned to Chops and Nick, Presley approaching from the side.

"You guys alright?" He asked them in his gruff voice.

They nodded. "Yeah, yeah." Nick said.

"We sure are now." Chops said. "You're very strong, Clyde!"

"Just leave this ta me." Clyde said, stepping forward to face Dan. He cracked his knuckles and growled. "Okay, Danny-boy…whaddya think yer doin' to the guys wot let me sleep in their home?!"

"How droll. Eh, Charlie? If you don't mind?" Dan inquired.

"**SPADA!**"

Dan rushed forward, his tail twitching. Clyde grinned and raised his arm. "HA! I'm still pumped from that last-"

TWHOOSH! He fist went right through Dan…and he realized too late it was an illusion. He turned around in time to see Chops get brutally cut down. Nick was now trying to hold his partner up as blood dripped down from 621's chest. Dan raised his tail blade, folding his arms.

"This will end it." He said. "You can't match me."

"**DOROBOU!**" Presley read from Clyde's tan-yellow book.

"You can't possibly-" Dan's tail came down…

THWA-WUDDDA!!!

This time ANOTHER punch stopped Dan…Clyde had maneuvered right in front of the experiment and now unloaded a series of furious punches as Dan tried to block. "MOVE FURTHER BACK, GUYS!" Clyde shouted as Nick picked Chops up and moved him back.

"You should be careful…" Chops whispered. "I felt my strength sapping away as I blocked his tail blade with "Imperium"…that thing saps power!"

"So you figured it out! Well, you always had a very keen mind." Dan complimented.

"That don't mean s—t to me." Clyde bragged, pounding his chest.

"Illiterate pest!" Dan yelled.

"**TAGLIO!**" Charlie yelled out.

Dan swung his tail blade, but before he knew it Clyde was right by his side, having dodged the attack…and ANOTHER punch, followed by a quick uppercut, knocked him through the air.

"Amazing…he's forcing him back with punches alone?!" Nick wondered out loud.

"Hmph…" Dan landed expertly and his tail twitched. "Perhaps SPEED would be preferable. Charlie!"

"**FERRIUM!**"

Dan's body was now moving swiftly as he and Clyde danced around each other in a circle. Clyde would rush forward and fling a punch, only to have it blocked by Dan's blade, but Dan's blade couldn't really touch Clyde either!

"Ya can't hurt me with your fancy speed, pretty- boy!" Clyde laughed.

"Yeah, but your speed and strength are being shaved off every time you touch my tail!" Dan told him in a confident tone.

"Hmm…" Clyde frowned. Perhaps it was time…

"**NUSUBITO!**" Presley read out quickly.

"You haven't a PRAYER!" Dan shouted as he slammed his blade down rapidly, trying to chop Clyde up like he was a carrot and his tail blade was a kitchen knife. After a few quick and strong strokes, dust covered the whole field, and everyone blocked the onflow of dust from getting into the eyes. Nick gasped in horror.

"Clyde…" He whispered softly…

"I told you I you were no match for-"

"I told YOU…"

Dan gasped as Clyde's form emerged from the dusty cloud, spitting to the side. "Your power absorption crap ain't got nothin' to do with me!"

THWACKA!

He punched Dan high into the sky, smirking. "Payback time, assbag!"

"So…THAT'S his strength?" Nick asked, turning to the Elvis impersonator.

"Yes…body enhancement!" Presley told him. "The first spell's like warming up a party with a cute and boppy pop songs. The spells afterwards are like heartwarming ballads leading up to the big climax!" He laughed. "But to put it more simply…once the gears start moving and the engine's running in his soul, then he's a hunkahunka burnin' fury!"

Dan spat out some bloody spit from his mouth as he stood up. "You stupid imbecile! You shouldn't be sticking your nose in this! There are two threats to the entire galaxy that have appeared on this planet! One is "Senkoukura"…and the "Kimaira", the spell that 621 possesses, is just as dangerous and MUST be stopped…now stay out of my way, 150!" He yelled, rushing forward…

This time Clyde didn't punch him…he SLAMMED him into the ground, growling in his face. "SHUT…YER…TRAP!" He snarled. "I hear a lotta s—t comin' from your mouth, and I can barely understand it, but what I DO understand is you're tryin' to off my friend! If there's TWO threats, then you don't gotta hurt Chops, right?!"

"You don't understand the power Kimaira has!" Dan shouted, shoving Clyde off and snarling angrily.

"It ain't about power! It's about what's RIGHT! You're just looking down on him and I can't tolerate that!" Clyde snarled.

"…well…guess I can't go easy on you, huh…"

They suddenly realized that the boy was speaking! He seemed very…nervous about this thing, yet was looking at the bleeding, rapidly-panting Dan with utter concern. "Don't worry Danny, I'll fix this for you." He said gently. "**LAMNIA!**"

A sudden breeze blew over the air as Dan knelt down, sitting "Indian Style" and gently curling his tail around himself. Nick frowned. "What is THIS? There's something odd about that fighting stance…"

"You shall be cut down." Dan told Clyde.

"Oh REALLY? Let's see about that!" Clyde laughed, rushing forward…

SCHA-WUCKA!

Everyone gasped as Clyde was sent reeling back, blood oozing down his chest. The second he'd stepped within a five foot radius of Dan, Dan's tail had sliced him down! Now the experiment stood up, looking down at Clyde.

"In Japan that technique is called "Iaido"…" Dan remarked. "Now I shall end this…"

"Nick…we gotta…help our friend…" Chops mumbled as he staggered up.

"My thoughts EXACTLY." Nick agreed, holding tightly onto the book.

"**PERCUTIO!**" Nick yelled.

Chops's extra arms popped out and he slammed his fists into the metal ball, shooting it at Dan, who calmly raised his tail to block. "What do you think you're-"

SCHWOOOOMP!

"AAA!" Dan gasped as it knocked his tail aside and went straight into his body! "What…what have you DONE?!"

"I'm about to do WORSE!" Nick laughed. "**PERCUTIO, PERCUTIO, PERCUTIO!**"

Once! Twice! Thrice!

Dan dodged all of them though, and snarled. "You've got some nerve, interfering when I'm trying to-"

"Finish me off?" Clyde laughed.

"**AKISUNERAI!**" Presley yelled. Clyde's body became encased in a blue shine as he rushed forward with impossible speed. Before Dan could do anything…

WHAKKA-WHOOOOOOM!

Clyde punched him with his metallic fist, and it hit with the force of a freight train. Gasping, Dan was sent flying across the river, slamming into Charlie. The two of them hit the ground, groaning and rubbing their heads.

"Gotcha!" Nick yelled. "The chain line of Percutio's are all set up!"

One embedded in Dan…and a bunch within in a line of rocks that were sticking out of the water…

**"KIMAIRA!!!"** Nick yelled.

Chopsuey's body was filled with power and he thrust his fists forward, sending the lion-faced beast racing across the river.

"I suppose I'll have to use one of my trump cards…" Dan announced.

"Here goes! **DIOFOCHE-FERRIUM!**" Charlie called out.

THWUDDA-WHOOOOOOOM!

Now before their eyes Kimaira's assault was being halted by what could only be described as a HUGE violin bow blade that was held up by a glowing, gloved hand. The two attacks SEEMED evenly matched…

…

…

…

…for all of five seconds.

WHUDDA-WOOOOOOOM!

…

…

…

…Dan was covered in dirt, bruises and soot…but Charlie was unharmed, if not a bit surprised. His hair had been blown back by the blast of wind that had resulted from the explosion, giving him an "afro" of sorts. Nick gasped…the attack hadn't destroyed their book? It should have obliterated their book and knocked Dan unconscious…but he was still standing?

"So…Kimaira is at a level where we can still stop it SOMEWHAT?" Charlie asked Dan. "That's good, I think…"

"Yes…it IS." Dan said, patting his partner on the head.

"Okey-dokey, let's go then!" Charlie said. "I'm tired. It's almost 10 and way past my bedtime…"

"You're just LEAVING?" Nick asked as Dan helped Charlie up.

"Yep." Charlie said, waving goodbye. "Take good care!"

Clyde frowned, crossing his arms. "Didn't even use my best spell…ah, whaddevah."

"I don't get it…what's the big deal about some structure and my spell?" Chopsuey asked, scratching his stomach.

"Who knows, Chops…" Nick said, looking up at the starry sky. "Who knows?"

…

…

…

… "So Kimaira hasn't taken it's true form yet." Dan told Charlie. "And they can only release THAT much power…"

"But they seem able to control it pretty dang well at the level it's at, so it's no problem!" Dan said sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "YAAAAWWWN! So I gues…we gotta look at that other thing?"

"Yes…Senkoukura…" Dan whispered softly. "Shall we begin our road trip?"

"Ooh, road trip!" Charlie said happily. "But…let's do it tomorrow…I feel like saying "goodnight, moon"…"

**Nick: Could it be?**

**Chopsuey: Pleakley, you're back! How have you been-**

**Nick: Wait. Where's Link?**

**Pleakley:...Link...is gone...**

**Chopsuey: WHAT? How?!**

**Pleakley: I'll tell you all about it on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!  
**


	41. A Terrible Tragedy!

**CHAPTER FORTY-ONE**

**の恐ろしい悲劇！親友さよなら！**

**A Terrible Tragedy! Goodbye Dear Friend!**

**------------------------------------------------------ **

Nightwing snapped his eyes open suddenly as Haley was asleep in her room. He walked over to the window and drew the blinds open to see out onto the balcony of the large hotel they were staying at.

The human stood there, hands inside his jacket. He was looking intently at Nightwing with pink eyes.

"I know you. You're from that boy's school. You're a teacher. What do you want?" Nightwing asked.

"…do you believe in fate?" The albino asked.

"Fate?" Nightwing tilted his head to the side.

"That we all have a specific path and there's nothing we can do to get off it? That our destinies are set in stone?" The human asked again.

"No." Nightwing said.

"That's good, because the truth is the future can always be changed. And sometimes the past too. But perhaps you might not want to change the future." The teacher said, entering the room. "I'm White. Michael White. I've been to the future."

Nightwing looked intrigued. "Really?" He asked. "And what, pray tell, does it hold?"

"Your brother, 421…he is going to have a son." White rhymed. "And you shall too. But depending on the choices that will be made…the actions that will be taken…the child of Heartwing will die. And your child will cease to exist."

Nightwing blinked in surprise. "W-Who? Who would I-"

"You know…" White told him, pointing at him with deep intent in his pink eyes. "You know who you would choose…deep down in your heart."

…

…

…

…Nick had been SERIOUSLY wiped out from the late night battle and was resting in his bedroom all Sunday. He didn't intend to get out bed for anything else but F-O-O-D. Chopsuey, meanwhile, as happy to get a call from Pleakley, who wanted to visit.

The one-eyed alien picked him up and hugged him, smiling happily. "Oh, it's GREAT to see you!" He said. "I missed you, ya little monster!" He wisecracked.

Chopsuey smiled as Pleakley put him back down and led the one-eyed alien inside. "Can I get you something to drink?" He asked. "Perhaps a coke? Milk? Water?"

"Er, I'm not thirsty, but thank you all the same." Pleakley said, raising one of his long-fingered hands. "I just want to talk to someone. I've been going around the world and doing lots of research for my upcoming position at Galactic Community College." He told Chopsuey. "I'm going to be giving lots of lectures on Earth!"

"Link would be proud of you!" Chops said, nodding.

"…yeah…he would…" Pleakley mumbled, sitting down in a chair. Suddenly he found tears brimming in his eye. "I…I miss him so much…"

He covered his eye and began to sob. Filled with pity, Chopsuey gently patted the alien on the back. "There, there…there, there, let it out." He said softly.

"I miss him so MUCH…and the one who sent him back…he looked so much like Stitch…but his attitude was AWFUL!"

That made Chops's blood run cold. "Wh-WHAT?!" He whispered.

"If I hadn't called out to him, Link might still…might still be alright." Pleakley said, rubbing some final tears away. "We were travelling around Holland…"

…

…

…

… "Don't I look DASHING in these "clops"?" Pleakley asked, holding up a wooden shoe on one of his feet. Link giggled good-naturedly as he rode atop Pleakley's shoulder. They made their way through the crowded streets of the town and were about to head towards the hotel when Link stiffened and sniffed the air.

"What is it, boy? Trouble at the old mill?" Pleakley wisecracked.

Link shook his head, and pointed forward. Pleakley saw an experiment some distance away…it was getting darker out and it was hard to tell what color, but it looked like-

"Stitch?" He called out.

The experiment stiffened up. Pleakley walked towards him with Link and they saw…no, it wasn't Stitch…this experiment had a design similar to him, but more…NASTY. Bent antennae, ruffled ears, a red body, yellow-tinted teeth…

"Who just called me by that weakling's name?" The experiment growled harshly. He looked them over. "So did you meet with that idiot?"

Link hopped down and clenched his fists, growling as his antennae lowered slightly.

"No you are not him, though you look a lot _**like **_him. Sort of how Chops looks like him…" Pleakley said quietly, a nervous feeling entering his body. Something about this experiment wasn't right…

"CHOPS? So you must be close to him or THINK yourself close to call him by that name." The experiment inquired, rubbing his chin.

"Yes. He and his partner were strong, so we parted ways."

"STRONG?!" The experiment asked, raising an eyebrow. He then cackled in a sickening fashion. "Gya-ha-ha-ha-ha…don't make me laugh anymore, that's not a very funny joke! You're just as weak as the prodigal son!"

"You're **rude**. Let's go, Link." Pleakley said, turning away after picking Link up.

"What? You're not going to FIGHT?" The experiment asked, looking mortified.

Pleakley turned his head back slightly. "Of course not, crazy-head!" He snapped. "I'm only interested in journeying around the world. This fight between experiments is almost totally idiotic, I won't fight unless necessary!"

"…how naïve…TOO naïve!" The experiment growled. He snapped his fingers. "When I see fools like you…I just HAVE to wipe the floor with you!"

At the snap of his fingers, a human stepped forward from out of an alley, walking over to Leroy. She was a dark-haired girl who was beautiful, but…chilling to behold, and with eyes like ice. Pleakley met her stare with his own…he knew they'd HAVE to fight.

…

…

…

…they had taken it outside of town, as windmills gently twirled their blades. Pleakley could sense something coming from this girl…some strange power…but he didn't understand what it truly was…

Not until…

"Let's try and go easy on them for starters!" Pleakley said, holding up his book. "**LIASON!**"

Link raised his antennae and they shot their sticky sap out, grabbing two chunks of earth. He flung it straight towards the experiment and his book keeper.

"HA! Take…what the?!" Pleakley gasped.

They were standing stock still. Not moving one inch…

"They're not going to DODGE? They ARE crazy!"

Or perhaps not! They didn't even flinch as the chunks of earth crashed around them, barely missing. Pleakley realized it…they could read his moves? They knew he wasn't trying to actually HIT them?

"If you try and hold back even a _little_…then you're pretty dumb." The experiment snapped. He raised a single claw up. "Of course, I could always burn your book quickly…"

"Here it comes!" Pleakley thought.

**"PUNCHITO!"**

Pleakley grabbed Link and rolled to the side just in time to miss a powerful blast. He blinked in horror as it tore apart the windmill he'd been in front of. "OH MY…" He gasped.

"Stitch has the same power as I…" The experiment explained calmly. "But mine is faster…stronger…and furthermore…"

"I've had enough…I'm going for his book!" Pleakley thought. He held his book up. "**LIASON!**"

But before Link could raise his antennae, the experiment had JUMPED in front of his book keeper, grinning as Link grabbed some chunks of windmill and flung them at the experiment, who batted them aside, laughing madly.

"What the?!" Pleakley gasped.

"I can read your mind, one-eye." The experiment sneered. He leapt through the air, claws held high and slashed down at Pleakley, who rolled to the side…barely dodging it. Pleakley suddenly realized what the experiment was up to but before he could stop it, the experiment was rushing at Link, punching him in the gut. He then held Link up by his throat and raised one hand, directly putting it on Link's forehead. He smiled coldly and spoke one word…

"DISAPPEAR!"

"**PUNCHITO!"**

But Pleakley was quicker! He tackled Leroy from behind, making him drop Link, and the attack sailed up into the air. Snarling, Leroy rolled away, back to his book owner's side as Pleakley took deep breaths and helped Link up. This person was far stronger than he thought…he had been so FAST! Even though he could predict the experiment's movements, he could barely keep up all the same!

"You're small fry, but you still made it this far?" The experiment asked, looking amused. "You're the first interesting foes I've met in a while…so for funsies, I'm gonna let YOU join in." He turned to his book keeper. "Ready to rumble, Lillith?"

Pleakley gulped. This human…something was wrong with her. VERY wrong. They had to use a harsher method of attacking! He held his book up and looked intently at the girl with the dark red book. "**GRANDE-LIASON!**" He yelled out. "I'd like to see you defend against THIS spell!"

Link's antennae glowed, along with his fingertips. He held them forward and they all shot out sticky jets, with the tips hardening into spears as thick and deadly as arrow-tips, and yet…

Much to Pleakley's horror the girl calmly dodged them all, sidestepping left and right as she continued to move forward. A single tip struck her shoulder and some blood dripped down, but…that was it! She'd figured out how to dodge as many as possible while enduring little…if any…harm!

And she hadn't even batted an eyelash after being gashed in the shoulder…not a single flinch!

Pleakley was now almost peeing his pants in fear at his inhuman pair before them…he HAD to stop them, even if it meant using their most frightening spell! He held the book up. "We'll use our strongest spell, Link!"

"YA!" Link said, clenching his fist and pumping it into the air.

"**GRANDE ****CHAÎNON!**" Pleakley roared out. "DODGE THIS, YOU LITTLE **MONSTER!**"

"Hmm." The girl watched with some interest as Link's multi-sap strike from antennae and fingertips dug into the ground, wrenching out huge, thick chunks of earth and flinging them right at her and her partner. She pointed forward at a single area. "There."

"Okay then!" Her partner remarked, holding up a hand.

"**PUNCHITO**!" The girl called out. She didn't even open her book…

THWA-WHOOOM!

The blast went right through one of the chunks and hit the sap, severing it…and it started a chain reaction. All of the boulders fell to the ground, rolling around and missing Lillith and her partner. One blow…

"H-How did…what in the?!" Pleakley gasped. "We've got to run!" He gasped, turning around…

And he saw they'd accidentally been backed into a windmill. He gulped and turned around as Lillith and her partner advanced.

"RUN? And where are you going to go?" Lillith inquired.

Before Pleakley could do anything, Lillith had knocked his book out of his hand and had grabbed his neck, choking him. He could feel it…FEEL it…

"So that's it…" Pleakley gasped out.

"Hmm?" Lillith tilted her head to the side slightly.

"I can avoid danger and judge what an opponent's going to do…and you've got that creepy power too! But that's not what's scary…what's scary is that look in your eyes that reveals what's buried in your heart, human girl…"

She blinked.

"How much hatred do you have in there?" Pleakley asked quietly, making her eyes widen for a brief moment, revealing shock…and then they narrowed slightly, showing fury. She tossed him to the ground and held her book up as it began to glow like a sun…so much HATRED!

"I want you to DIE. I'll blow you away with THAT spell-"

The experiment whistled. "WOAH! No, no, no. No point wasting that much heart energy." He insisted. "They're still small fry and-"

He blinked when he saw Pleakley was trying to dive for the book. Too slow.

"**Punchito**."

FWOOOM!

The book was hit, and it began to burn before Pleakley's eye. Link gasped, one hand going to his mouth. He held his arm over his eyes and began to cry as Pleakley picked him up and cradled him. "Link…_Link_…" He sobbed.

"Pa…pa…" Link whispered back, holding onto Pleakley tightly. "_Papa_…"

The experiment smirked coldly and raised his paw at the book again.

"**Punchito."**

Before Pleakley's eye Link vanished in his arms. The one-eyed alien's body shook with a mixture of sorrow and rage as his fingers dug into the ground below. The red experiment that had fought with them laughed cruelly and walked off, his partner right behind him.

"You…you…" Pleakley sobbed. He slammed his fists into the ground, wailing horribly. "**YOU ****MONSTEEEEERRRRRRR!!!**"

…

…

…

… "I didn't even get to say goodbye to Link…" Pleakley finished, clutching onto the table so hard Chops thought he might just BREAK something…and with the intense, glaring sorrow in his voice, Chops felt that it might be the TABLE, and not the alien's hand.

"They…fired on a book that was already burning…just like that foul 086…" Chops growled. "I can't forgive them!" He snarled. "I WON'T forgive them!"

…

…

…

… Nick had woken up upon hearing Pleakley come into the house. He had been listening to them from the top of the staircase and had heard the whole story.

His body racked with sobs, the boy slid down the wall and covered his face with his hands as the tears fell, unable to stop until at last his eyes became too dry…

**Dude: Ah, isn't this countryside great, little dude?**

**Heartwing: Mmm-hmm! **

**???: Not so fast. You're...allied...with other experiments, aren't you?**

**???: We can't STAND people like you who don't fight with your own strength!**

**Dude: We're gonna get KILLED out here unless we pull out a new trick!**

**Heartwing: Well we're GONNA...and you're gonna see me keep it REAL on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**

**Dude: You...TALK?!?  
**


	42. A Double Dragon Brawl!

**CHAPTER FORTY-TWO**

**ダブルドラゴン乱闘！ ****"****彼は憶病者ではない！ ****"**

**A Double Dragon Brawl! "He's No Coward!"**

**---------------------------------------------------------------- **

CHOMPA-CHOMPA-CHOMP…

"WOAAAAHHH!!!"

Clyde was crying tears of joy. "Greatest…scrambled eggs…EVER!" He shouted.

Nick nervously blushed. "Heh-heh…making scrambled eggs is one of the few breakfast dishes I'm really good at creating." He admitted as he turned back around. Everyone was in the kitchen, sitting around the table, breakfasts on their plates. Chops was having his with hot sauce, Dude was sprinkling jelly beans for some weird reason, and Presley had asked for ketchup. Heartwing just "glomfed" his stuff down, much like Clyde…okay, fine, Clyde had SOME salt in his eggs…and he wanted LOTS of them.

"Keep 'em comin', these are GREAT!" He laughed.

"Stop being such a pig." Presley said, whacking him in the arm.

"Hey! I'm bigger than you, I need more food!" Clyde defended.

"You're bigger cuz you EAT too much!" Presley laughed.

Everyone laughed. This was funny because it was true…

Soon it was time for Clyde to go, though. He and Presley had started up the motorcycle and attached car they'd ridden in and were about to go. Clyde shook Chops and Heartwing's hands, smiling. "Thank you for everything." He told them. "You too, Nick…Dude." He added, nodding. "And uh…"

Now he blushed. "If yez sees my partner, Bonnie…please tell her I don't care 'bout no fight…I aint' gonna tussle with her…"

"We'll keep an eye out for her and help her if we can." Nick said, nodding.

"Thanks!" Clyde said as he got in the car and waved goodbye as Presley took off. "See yez aroooouuund!"

…

…

…

… Dude had decided to go on vacation to discover his roots. He'd done a DNA test and had discovered that he was one third Austrian, and so he decided to head to Salzburg. It was famous not only for being the fourth-largest city in Austria and being close to the beautiful mountain range that was the Alps but for also being home to Mozart AND it was the location of "The Sound of Music".

"The hills are aliiiiive…with the sound of musiiiiic!" Dude sang out as he lay on his back in a large, grassy valley, resting on a hillside. The clouds lazily drifted over his head as he looked upwards, allowing the wind to blow his hair slightly.

Dude had ALWAYS been a bit of a drop-out. He'd left his community college to "travel around the islands" and just see what was beyond Honolulu. He didn't regret it though…he was just happy to chill out and keep it groovy. His only regret was that he had been unable to take Heartwing with him, since the little guy was NEVER gonna get past airport security!

"I'll have to bring him back some edelweiss later." Dude thought, turning on his side and sniffing one of the beautiful white flowers.

He turned back to the other side…

SLUUUURP!

Heartwing had licked him straight in the face and held his cheeks, stretching them slightly before he licked him again.

Dude stood up, blinking as he looked down at Heartwing. "How…what the? How'd you get here, little buddy?"

Heartwing scratched his head. Then he stood up and stretched out his arms and went around and around in a circle.

"You snuck aboard an airplane, huh?" Dude inquired.

Heartwing nodded, and then bounded up and down. "Eee-eee-eee!"

"…so he said that?" Dude asked.

…

…

…

… "Don't worry, I'll distract the security guard by sneaking in nail clippers." Nick said, giving Heartwing a thumb's up as he grinned and rubbed the little dragon's head with his other hand. "Just promise me you'll come back, alright?"

Heartwing nodded, clapping his hands together and bowing.

And it had taken quite a long time! The flight had taken him straight into the city of Vienna and Nick had been detained by Airport Security for an entire day. The little dragon been distracted for a few days by listening to the beautiful music in the opera houses of Vienna, but had quickly realized that he was in a foreign country with NOBODY ELSE HE KNEW AROUND. So he'd taken off for Salzburg by following directions from a map that he'd gotten when a tourist had crumpled it up and tossed it in the trash.

He had been forced to ride atop of some trucks and had been walking for hours before he'd finally caught Dude's scent and had used his saved-up strength to fly directly for him. But it had NOT been for naught…now he was with his partner again!

…

…

…

… "So, let's go have some fun!" Dude said, smiling happily. "Race you to the bottom of the hill, little dude!"

He then rolled on his side down the hill. Heartwing quickly tucked himself into a ball and raced after his partner, laughing happily…

And so for the next few days, it was a great time. Heartwing and Dude eat picnics together, ordering out from restaurants, and would watch the moon and the stars in the hills of Salzburg, just passing the time. Then together they'd gone night-swimming. Dude had taken off his shirt, shoes and socks and had jumped straight into a beautiful natural pond hidden in the valley and the two had engaged in a splash war…

"This is so relaxing." Dude said as they drifted side by side, facing different directions. "It's just so peaceful out here."

Heartwing looked up at the stars that twinkled overhead. It was all so beautiful…so peaceful and calm…this world was a wondrous place. The gentle breeze…the soft twinkling light of the stars reflecting in the water around him, the beautiful moon hovering in the night sky…it was all so…so…amazing.

He loved everything and everyone. It was impossible for him to hate. Even Kolobos and Shadow…he hadn't hated them, but what they'd done, because what they'd done was awful. He didn't get it…why would anybody want to destroy such a beautiful world?

…

…

…

…it was the morning after an early breakfast and Dude and Heartwing were out camping in the forest. Dude had gone to chop some firewood while Heartwing was sniffing a flower.

Then he stiffened, whirling around to come face to face with an experiment as red as the Venetian flag. He had a bulb-like nose, sharp claws and a large mouth to go along with his large, round head and he had spike-tipped feet, almost talon-like. He had a necklace around his neck that was in the shape of a scorpion and a man was standing by his side. The human had dark green eyes and a scar above his upper lip and was VERY strong in appearance. He had brown hair with a ponytail that was tied in the back and a tattoo on his shoulder of a grinning skull.

"You noticed us by instinct alone?" The human asked. "Here I thought you weren't intelligent enough...you're tougher than you look."

Heartwing bristled up, clenching his claws. The sheer aura of power coming from this experiment before him…he was a dragon, without a doubt…just as he was. He turned his head, about to say "Let's be careful Chops" in his tongue…

Then he remembered…Chops wasn't there. Nobody else was here. Not even his partner. He blinked stupidly, then groaned. "Oroooo…"

The experiment before sniffed the air. Then he turned to his partner and spoke. "Ahe…hoaloha Riley." He told him.

Riley rubbed his head, then turned to Heartwing. "Auron says he smells another experiment on you. You have allies in this fight?"

Heartwing smiled and nodded eagerly. "Aa-aa!"

"…well…you can't fight without your allies around…people like you are the kind we hate the most!" Riley snarled. "So are your allies here?"

Heartwing shook his head, confused.

"They're not, but I sure am!" Dude said, coming up from behind Heartwing with his book. "I'm 421, aka Heartwing's partner, Dude!"

"Dude"? What an idiotic name…figures though. An idiot partner for an idiotically childish experiment." Riley snapped. "Experiment 571's name is "Auron". That's a LOT cooler than "Heartwing"!"

Heartwing growled, pointing forward with a claw. "**HIKUHIKUHIKUHIKUUUU!**" He shouted. (My real name is BUSTDUSTER, darn it!)

"Hey, that's totally uncool!" Dude yelled, shaking his fist at Riley. "Heartwing" is a GREAT name for an experiment!"

"_Yare_…" Heartwing mumbled, hanging his head.

"Aloha ino…" Auron said quietly. "He aha ke 'ano?" (What a pity…his partner doesn't know his real name?)

"Are you serious?" Riley asked, turning his head towards his partner.

Auron nodded. Riley sniggered, covering his mouth. "PFFFT! You guys can't "talk" at all? And yet you've gotten this far?"

"Don't talk bull, dude! Me and Heartwing know what we're doin'!" Dude defended. "And having allies is groovy! They pick ya up whenever you're down and care aboutcha! But allies or not, my little buddy's strong enough to fight on his own!"

"Well then…put your money where your mouth is!" Riley dared them.

"Alright then…let's try our first move!" Dude yelled. "Plan A, little buddy!" He yelled. "The one I thought up while watching Teletubbies!"

Heartwing nodded as Dude held up the book. "**INSONS!**"

"**HALA'OLE!**" Riley read out.

The plan was a diversionary move. Dude drew the bad guy's attention, then when they were distracted, Heartwing would attack!

Dude, unfortunately, hadn't given much THOUGHT to the plan…after all, he had been flying high. So his idea of a distraction was to do the "Teletubbies Dance".

Auron and Heartwing, who had rushed forward and started to grapple, stopped and looked at Dude.

"…He aha nô lâ kou `ano? Pupule?" Auron asked. (What's with him? Is he an idiot?)

Heartwing sighed sadly and nodded.

"Hupo." Auron muttered, smacking Heartwing to the side and shaking his head at Dude, disappointed. (Fool.)

"Alright, fine, I guess fancy tricks won't work…let's just rock him like a hurricane!" Dude yelled.

"Oooh!" Auron's eyes went wide. Then he began to wave a clawed finger in the air, humming "Rock You Like A Hurricane".

"Auron LOVES The Scorpions"." Riley explained.

"Oh, well that's groovy. Now…ROCK AND ROLL! **INSONS DRACO!**" Dude yelled out.

"Turning up the heat? So can we!" Riley yelled out. "**LOA HALA'OLE!**"

Just as Heartwing was covered in a toga and bathed in holy power, Auron was clad in a cloth outfit that resembled that of a Japanese warrior. He gained armbands around his arms and his body surged with a dark red light as Heartwing jumped at him. Grinning, Auron SLAMMED his fists into the ground, sending dust all through the air. Heartwing looked around in the cloud of dust as Auron soared up, positioning himself to come down on Heartwing, his wings spreading out from his shoulders. Too easy…

"DUDE!" Dude yelled out.

Heartwing heard the cry and leapt to the side just as Auron's fist slammed down where he'd been a moment ago. "Uhu?!" Auron gasped. (Huh?!)

"DUDE!"

Now Heartwing dove straight at Riley, flying as fast as he could.

"Hoaka hao?!" (Attacking my partner?!) Auron snarled, rushing after Heartwing, clenching his fists as he soared through the air.

"DUDE!"

Heartwing suddenly twisted around and before Auron could do anything…

BA-WHAAAAM!

"GROOOOVY!" Dude laughed as Heartwing did a sudden uppercut, sending Auron flying into a tree. He crashed to the ground, groaning in pain as Heartwing smiled happily.

"Don't underestimate my little buddy!" Dude laughed. "He's got more heart than anybody I know!"

"Ano'e…maha oi!" (How strange…how BOLD!)

"Now, steal that book, Heartwing!" Dude yelled, pointing at Riley.

Heartwing nodded and rushed towards Riley, hands outstretched. "EEEEE!"

But the partner was gone.

"WHAAA?!" Dude gasped. "Where'd he go?"

"So…you've got coordination…but I'm pretty good at being able to tell when an opponent's trying something funny."

Heartwing gulped and turned around to see Riley was standing there by Auron's side, helping his partner up. "I didn't go through pro wrestling for nothing. I'll admit though…your coordination isn't half bad! But…can you do this?"

Riley opened his book and read another spell. "**MEHAMEHA****KALEKONA!**" He read out.

THA-WHOOOOOM!

Heartwing gasped, his body filled with fear as Auron's body grew taller…his muscles bugling slightly…and a sword had appeared on his back, a very large Katana. Above all though…an aura of incredible, diabolical power was seeping from his body.

The air grew cold…the sky became dark. Dude felt a chill enter his body. What was WITH this spell?

**_"North and South meet and angels cry. Unholy power darkens the sky." _**Auron spoke…this time speaking fluidly and far more clearly than before.

"At first this spell ran the risk of hurting us both." Riley admitted, shrugging. "But then our hearts synchronized! Now it's an unbeatable spell!"

Heartwing pointed at Auron, body quivering. "Evil…evil…" He whispered. Then his eyes narrowed. This horrid, foul aura…

"EVIL!!!" He screamed, rushing at Auron and slamming his fist forward…

TWHUMP.

Auron raised his sword and his eyes narrowed intently. Heartwing screamed as his fist was suddenly encased in a rust-covered glow. He hit the ground, screaming and wailing like a newborn child as he flopped around…it felt like a thousand knives were being stabbed into his hand.

"_NO_!" He screamed inside his head. "_DADDY, PLEASE…MAKE IT STOP!_"

"That's…that's devilish power…" Dude whispered. "Total "Exorcism" stuff…"

"Hmph. He's weak…he couldn't do anything without his allies." Riley mumbled, crossing his arms.

"Let's just burn this hippie's book." Auron said. "I want to get this over with…"

Suddenly he realized Heartwing was gripping his leg, looking up at him. "NO…NO…" Heartwing gasped out.

"You can still move somewhat?" Auron asked. "Impressive!...but unfortunately your bold words mean nothing now. We trained immensely to survive on our own…you did not stand a chance, little hatchling."

"Now give up the book!" Riley demanded as Auron rushed forward, holding his sword up.

Dude clutched the book tightly as they ran towards him, fully expecting to be killed…

WHOOM!

Heartwing had tackled Auron form behind…but even though his entire body was being assaulted by the rust-covered aura that Auron's body generated, he would not let go. Nick had told him to come back…he had PROMISED! He NEVER broke a promise!

"Stupid child! Let GO!" Auron snapped, kicking Heartwing through the air. Heartwing hit a tree and slid down, groaning, but stood back up.

They were counting on him to come back…his family, his _OHANA_!!!

HE WOULD NOT BREAK HIS PROMISE! **NEVER, EVER EVER!**

Dude suddenly gasped as Heartwing's book glowed more brightly than before. He opened it up. "A new spell?" He gasped. "Please let this work…" He hoped.

"**TOTUS-INSONS-DRACO!**" Dude yelled out.

SCHA-BOOOOOM!

A beam of light erupted from the heavens. The solid white beam struck Heartwing and he stood up…his body shone brilliantly as he got slightly larger and more human-like…his wings becoming more angelic and delicate, his eyes gleaming brightly. His heart insignia grew in size and now became solid gold as the silver claws, talons and spikes upon his body became white, and three dreadlock-like tufts of hair spiked out in front of his head.

He grinned and rushed forward, getting by his partner's side and taking up a defensive pose as his body glowed with a shimmering white aura.

"HA!" He yelled. "How do you like THAT! **_East and West meet and angels sing! Voices resound with a righteous ring!_**"

"Woah, you're speaking!" Dude realized.

Heartwing blinked. "…you're right! I'm speaking in "Basic" now! Nice! High-five!"

He held his hands up and slapped his partner's hands…

THWA-WOOOM!

Dude went flying back, moaning as he picked himself up again. Heartwing suddenly realized that the air around him was getting brighter, the white aura that surrounded him was shining forth like he was a big flashlight…and the little beams of light that struck Dude were making him wince in pain!

"No! No, stop it!" The dragon shouted, slapping his own hand. "Don't hurt him, you freaky power!"

Riley rolled his eyes. "Don't you GET it? That sort of spell is harmful to your partner!" He told them. "It was the same in the beginning with me and Auron…I couldn't touch him! And you can't touch him either, holy power or not!" Riley said, pointing at Heartwing. "Auron's power comes from the chaos regions of Hell, at the outermost tip where fire dragons are said to be born! In short, DARK power, power that can burn the very SOUL of an innocent…but your power is holy-based…"

"And nobody is sinless." Auron spoke up. "Your little hippie friend is obviously a stoner…such a holy power like the one you wield views HIM as a sinner and worthy of being struck just as much as WE are. WE took time to hone this power I have, you only just discovered it…quite frankly, you stand no chance, little hatchling." He told Heartwing, shaking his head.

"Well…it still can't hurt the book!" Dude said, standing up. "I remember that we can't harm our own books! And I'll give you all the heart power I can to back you up!" He said…

But his body was shaking. The light was making him so sleepy…so tired.

"You can barely STAND!" Riley said, pointing at Dude. "It's taking all you can to just stay awake and fend against that aura! What kind of technique can you use if your own partner's barely conscious!"

Heartwing looked from Dude to Riley and Auron…then down at the ground.

Then he spoke up, his voice as crystal clear as a child's.

"We don't ever fight with technique! We fight with our HEARTS!" He yelled, punching the sky.

"Just look him in the eye, little dude…and show him what you're packing!" Dude agreed.

"How…touching…" Auron admitted. "But those words of consolation can't DO anything. Show me, scale-bearer…show me what you've got!"

"I WILL!" Heartwing yelled.

He clenched his fists, then screamed to the sky, a mighty roar that made Auron stop in mid-air before he could dive and slash at Heartwing…and then it happened…Heartwing turned and his eyes gazed RIGHT into Auron's…and Auron couldn't move…

Now Heartwing's body grew brighter…brighter…it was like he was a star that was coming closer and closer towards Auron, and the red dragon simply couldn't move a muscle as that shining light blazed more fiercely with every second!

WHOOOOOOOOM!

…

…

…

…the light died away…Riley groaned and stood up, his body bristling as if a harsh wind had just cut against him. Auron rubbed his head and looked around.

"They're…they're GONE!" Riley gasped. "That burst of light…he used it to attack AND escape?"

"That…that look in his eyes…" Auron whispered. "I saw it…he wasn't just some little hatchling…he was a true dragon…and I couldn't do a thing against that blaze he sent my way…"

He fell to his knees, his claws clutching the grass as his breath came in harsh breathes. "That green dragon…what is his secret? How…did he stop me?"

"Those words he spoke…" Riley said quietly, helping Auron up. "About having allies and heart…maybe there's something to it. But next time we meet…we'll win, definitely…"

"Yes…definitely…"Auron agreed. "_Definitely_…"


	43. The Weirdest Friends in All the World

**CHAPTER FORTY-THREE**

**彼らは全世界で一番奇妙なお友達です！**

**They are the Weirdest Friends in All the World!**

**------------------------------------------------------ **

"Er…Big Boing? Could you explain to me again why the doctor couldn't make it here before you?"

Nick and Chopsuey were sitting in the living room along with Trainer, Kim, Heartwing, Dude, Morpholomew and Spud…

And Big Boing.

"Well the thing is…er…he packed a shaving razor in his bag and is being detained by airport security." Big Boing explained. "But he said in the one phone call he's allowed that he's going to be here as soon as possible." She added, nodding her head.

"Er…right…" Nick mumbled.

"In the meantime…" Big Boing brushed her hair back and smiled happily. "Can you tell me why you wanted everyone to meet here? I kinda missed the middle part…"

Nick sighed and took another deep breath. "I recorded a bunch of news shows on DVR about that structure that appeared, the one that Dan said was a threat to the galaxy and all. I was hoping that if everyone looked at it we'd be able to figure something out…especially Dr. Rupert. After all, he's the genius…"

"Well what should we do until he gets here?" Dude asked. "I'd suggest watching Teletubbies, but we've got no pot…"

Everyone gave him a look.

"Er…remind me again HOW you managed to survive what happened in Salzburg?" Kim asked.

"You lack discipline!" Trainer growled.

"How have YOU guys been doing?" Chopsuey asked Trainer.

"Oh, Kim retrieved the Hope Diamond from a bunch of master thieves." Trainer said nonchalantly. "Also, we worked on our tans in Florida. And more importantly, Kim's discovered she has Irish roots! Tell that joke, that funny one." He asked Kim.

"Oh, okay!" Kim laughed. "What's Irish and sits outside?"

"…I dunno, what?" Nick asked.

"Patty-O-Furniture."

Nick sniggered madly. Chopsuey giggled slightly. Everyone laughed a little bit.

"How about I sing?" Big Boing asked.

"Uh…okay." Nick wondered, trying VERY hard not to look at her…headlights…

Big Boing clapped her hands eagerly, then quickly rifled through her bag, taking out a stereo. She pressed the "Play" button and music started up as she took up a dance position, one arm held up, another lowered slightly to the side as she shook her butt.

_**Oh booby, booby! Oh booby, booby!  
Oh booby, booby…my chest was supposed…to grow! My cleavage wasn't right, no!  
My booby, boobies…my breasts are completely fuuuull! And now my sweater's tight, yeah!  
Surgery…I wanna be a "d"…bigger memories, I want them to show now!...BECAUSE!**_

She twirled around, then placed her hands on her hips, moving her body, then placed one hand upon her chest.

_**My chest flatness…was killing me! And, IIII…**_

_**I must confess…I paid for these! Paid for these!  
I look 32…I'm just a child! I am a criii-iii-iiiime!**_

She winked at them, holding up a finger.

_**Make my boobies one more size!  
**_

Then she turned around and moved her hands up to the back of her head, bouncing her butt.

_**Oh baby, baby…I got double d's, it's true…now you've all been blinded!  
Oh pretty boobies…you're so big and oh-so-neeeew…that's just the way I planned it!  
Golly, Rolling Stone was NAUGHTY! See me baby, barely wearing clothes now! BECAUSE!**_

She turned around, moving her chest back and forth as she danced much like Britney Spears, doing fist-pulls, shaking her booty and bouncing her head.

_**My chest flatness…was killing me! And, IIII…**_

_**I must confess…I paid for these! Paid for these!  
I look 32…I'm just a child! I am a criii-iii-iiiime!**_

She winked at them, holding out a hand.

_**Make my boobies one more size!**_

Then she struck different poses as the music changed in tone.

_**Boooobies!**_

Nick, by now, was turning VERY red as Big Boing danced around and moved her body to prove her points in song…

_**Booobies…I'll lie about you! I'll make up something…I'll say they grew!**_

_**Boooobies…when I jump around…they keep on moving, each one weights 15 pounds!**_

_**I did NOT have surgeryyyy! My chest is growing…it's just puberty!**_

_**They grew like craaa-zyyyy! I was asleep! I was an "A" cup…now I'm a "D"!**_

_**They grew like craaa-zyyyy!**_

Big Boing gave them "Bambi Eye's". "You believe me, right?" She pleaded, holding her arms over her chest to cover her breasts.

"…ER…" Nick gasped out.

"My boobies got so huge almost overnight!"

By now Nick was redder than a beet. Spud was sniggering madly, covering his mouth.

_**They grew like craa-zyyy! Those things ain't cheap! I'm so inflated…unless they leak!**_

_**They grew like craa-zyyy! You believe me, right? My boobies got so huge almost overnight!**_

The song ended. Big Boing waved cheerfully. Everyone clapped. Nick, flushed and red in the face, turned to see Dr. Rupert in the open doorway, rolling on his back, slamming his feet into the ground as he laughed and covered his face with his hands.

Nick aimed one of Chops's fists at him and held his book up. **"IADEO!!!"**

THWUDDA-WOOOOOOOM!

Dr. Rupert groaned and staggered up, walking back into the house after he was blown across the front lawn and into the street. "What was THAT for? As-tu perdu la tête?"

"No offense, but you looked like you were enjoying my misery." Nick said angrily.

"Well in any case, let us take a look at that DVR you recorded, mon ami." Dr. Rupert laughed.

"You seem more cheerful than normal!" Spud remarked.

"Oh yes…I recently went back to my roots…somewhat. I visited Alsace-Lorraine, it's a fascinating place…and my home country's language contains elements of what you know as German AND French, though I prefer French myself…German is somewhat too rough…" He waved a hand in midair. "Shall I recite a sonnet for you in French?"

"Uh, no. Do you know any good French jokes though?"

"Yes." Dr. Rupert told Spud. "You Americans always say if not for you, the French would be speaking German. Well if not for the French, YOU would be speaking Cherokee."

Nick sniggered. It was funny because it was true. "Well…heh-heh-heh…how about I turn on that recording? One question though…how come none of you saw the building on TV?" Nick asked.

"Well, we kinda don't got a TV that does anything but play movies on the plane we take around the world." Kim said, shrugging.

"My house got jacked." Spud said, sighing sadly. "They took my Wii! WAA! WAA! WAA!"

Morpholomew smacked him across the face. "Keep it TOGETHER, man!" He shouted.

"I kinda don't watch the news." Dude said. "Unless it's…you know…related to the legalization of marijuana. And Heartwing just likes to watch cartoons, so…"

Heartwing nodded his head in agreement. He didn't really care about the news that much.

Nick rummaged through the various remotes and found the one for the DVR, raising it up and going through the different recordings. CSI, MASH, Pokémon the Movie, Heroes…ah-ha! There it was.

BEEP!

They looked at the structure that appeared on the screen, gazing intently at it.

"Those houses look awfully old…like something from 100 years ago!" Spud remarked.

"The way Dan talked about it…he said that's no "building"…" Chops mused, rubbing his chin.

"Look at the little staircase running up the top!" Kim said, pointing at it. "It's all broken and stuff, but I'm amazed they could build it so high…"

"Compared to the mountain range it's on, this is really something so big it's SCARY!" Morpholomew admitted.

"I BELIEVE that this building was called "Senkoukura"…yes, that's what Dan said it was." Nick spoke up.

Dr. Rupert looked the structure over, eyes narrowing in thought. Then his eyes bugged out, his body turning to stone with fear. _**"**__**OH MON CHER DIEU DANS LE CIEL!" **_He gasped out.

"What? What is it?!" Nick asked.

But Dr. Rupert was unable to hear. He'd fainted dead away! Spud gulped and looked around at everyone.

"There's only one explanation…" he whispered. "**THAT'S NO MOON, THAT'S THE IMPERIAL DEATH STAR!**" He gasped.

Kim whacked him over the head. "OW!"

…

…

…

…so they hadn't been able to figure out what the structure was. And Dr. Rupert, upon waking up, had run out of the house in fear, screaming all the way. Chops sighed as he sorted through the mail, thinking about the plan he'd made up in the doctor's absence.

The news had described the structure, but couldn't be tracked down via radar or satellite or anything like that…apparently some kind of cloaking signature was being employed. It would take a highly sensitive radar…a special radar to figure out where the building was.

Nobody was quite sure where the footage for the structure had come from. It had been dropped off at major stations in a brown bag with a videotape inside by an unknown individual who had been wearing a big coat, sunglasses and gloved hands.

Therefore the plan was to find an experiment who would have that "special radar"…the same kind of tracking system that Jumby had had-

What the?

Chops blinked in surprise. A letter addressed to HIM!

"Nick! Look!"

He turned around and went up the stairs and into Nick's room, while the kid was putting on some deodorant. "What is it?" Nick asked.

"I've got a letter!" Chops said, opening it up. "I wonder who it's from?"

Nick and he sat down on Nick's bed, looking the letter over.

"Dear Chopsuey, experiment 621, how are you doing?

My name is Squirrel. It's been a while I last saw you, Chops, but I'd like you to come meet me as soon as possible, you AND your book keeper, Nick. You see…the thing is…

I want you to burn my book."

Chops frowned slightly in confusion. "What?"

It went on. "You're the only person I trust with something like this because of your nature. I wanted to ask Page, but unfortunately he is no longer here on this Earth…I heard he fought bravely to the very end…

Please come to the island of Okinawa and burn my book for me. I trust you absolutely with this request.

Sincerely…Squirrel."

Chops put the letter down, blinking. Squirrel, huh?

"Do you remember anybody named Squirrel?" Nick asked.

"…no…" Chops admitted quietly. "I SHOULD, but I just can't…"

"Well we've got to go help him. He said he trusts you absolutely, you CAN'T deny a request like that!" Nick insisted.

"You're right…I can't. So…where is this "Okinawa"?" Chops asked.

"Pack your bags, Chops!" Nick said, grinning. "We're going to Japan!"

…

…

…

… "This place is BIIIIIIIG." Chops said, looking around the forest. There were dozens of trees all around, shading the ground below. There also was a very large, smooth rock to the right side of the path they were walking on…this was where they were supposed to meet Squirrel.

The town they'd arrived at was rural and lovely, with many windchimes hanging from the brightly-painted houses, torches that lit the way of the road for those that traveled at night, and the sea breeze was cool and calming. But most interestingly of all…there were creatures watching them from the trees.

"AAA!" Chops gaped as a white-bodied thing with sunken in black eyes and a mouth to match came out of the woods, tilting it's head to the side and making a rattling, as more of it's "friends" came out around. "What ARE these things?"

"Yokai." Nick explained.

Chops turned to look at Nick, confused. "Yokai?"

"Yes, spirits! These appear to be the nature spirits known as "kodama"." Nick told him. "Think of them as…" He rubbed his head. "Er…I know! Japanese dryads! They're harmless…and good luck, if you take good care of the trees they live in!"

"Uh…uh…"

They looked to their right and saw a very tanned being with long red hair that was tied into a thick and tall clump at the top with the rest falling down around his body almost like a mane. He had small black eyes and a skirt made of leaves. He was VERY short…and carrying a forest-green book in his hands. He spoke up. "A-Are…are…"

"Ah, Chopsuey!"

An experiment emerged from the forest, a little tanuki baby upon his shoulder, which hopped off and sat atop of the stone. The experiment had curved ears and two fangs jutting down from the top of his mouth, with white, stubby claws on his paws and a busy tail. His body consisted of mint and forest-green patterns, and his eyes were black, with a dark tint of green at the bottom.

"Hi." He said, waving nervously. His voice reminded Nick of Greg Cripes, the actor. "I'm Squirrel. I wanted you to burn my book for-"

The little red-haired dude ran behind the smooth hid…well SORT of hid. You could still see his little head poking out. Squirrel sighed. "Sorry…that's Kijimuna." He apologized. "He's a kind of a sprite or a fairy and he's REAAAALY spineless." He shrugged. "His kind are usually mischievous and naughty…they'll do stuff like jump all over you or sit on your chest so you can't sit up or go into your room and give you bad dreams. But "Key" as I like to call him gets scared of even meeting strangers."

He sat atop of the smooth stone and went on. "Until recently, I had just hidden Key away and not used spells, but my special ability to control plants. But it gets worse…I haven't remembered anything but powerful spells…all of them would freak Key out…and there's one spell that…if he saw it, I think he'd DIE." Squirrel said softly.

"So you're giving up becoming the champion?" Nick asked.

"I was never interested in this fight. Not 100 years ago and certainly not now." Squirrel said. "The truth is, Key is the very same little guy that was my partner 100 years ago and he used to be more courageous, but he lost that courage when I left him…I thought being back with him would reawaken it, but…"

"Wait…you're of the fanon line?" Nick asked. "But I thought all of their books were burnt!"

"He tried turning me into a pod when I refused to fight for Key's sake, and he left me there to rot in a dungeon, but…but Key went to help me and I broke the illusion with his help." Squirrel explained, smiling happily. "We high-tailed it out of there but not before we caught glimpses of your fights against the other fanon experiments…but that's beside the point. I don't wanna be a champion, I just want Key to be alright…he's very important to me…AND to the forest!"

Chops looked around as the various forest spirits appeared, looking at Key, who gulped. "How so?" Chops asked.

"Key is inheritor of Shishigami's Will! The Great Forest Spirit asked him to take over and care for the forest when he got strong enough, a standard procedure in Reikai culture."

"Reikai?" Chops tilted his head to the side.

"Think of it as "Limbo". These woods are a spiritual connection between OUR world and "The Other Side!" Squirrel explained. Then he sighed. "But the problem is that Key is just not courageous enough…he can barely look anybody in the eye, let alone take down people who would try and burn the forest. That's what I have to do in his stead. With my powers it's easy, but I want him to assert himself!" Squirrel insisted.

"Then we're gonna help you!" Nick said. "I've got a plan!"

"I hope it works, because this weird group that approached me." Squirrel said. "They said they wanted my power to be put to "good use" for "something important."

"What did they look like?" Nick asked.

Squirrel rubbed his head as he hopped off the stone. "…well…the book owner was a gajin…a white person like you, only he had far whiter skin than you. Also, he had red hair…and the experiment reminded me of a pig…"

…

…

…

… "Gangs of New Yooooooork!" Nosy sang out.

"Why do you keep singing that?" Mr. Jameson inquired.

"Because it's bad-ass!" Nosy said. "We're "bad-asses" now, remember? So when we go back to visit Squirrel, I want you to walk less stiffly!"

"But that's my "pimp walk"!" Jameson mumbled.

"We want "bad-ass", nor "Mr. Roboto"." Nosy laughed.

The two of them were watching the forest from a tall tree in the center, looking at the "Spiritual Stone" area which was said to be the "Heart" of the forest. According to legend, the Spiritual Stone could grant wishes in exchange for good deeds, and it was where Key and Squirrel hung out the most.

"Let's check the area again." Jameson said, holding up his goggles and peering through them. "…uh oh!" He blinked. "A green experiment with a Mohawk and a boy! That's…that's 621, right?" He asked, worried.

"AAA! 621?!" Nosy gasped. "He hates my guts! I read his journal and posted the contents all over the cafeteria and he's never forgiven me for it!"

"What was IN the journal?" Jameson asked.

"It was so potent it led to "The Noodle Incident"." Nosy mumbled. "I CRIED, Jameson. CRIED."

"What do you think they're up to?" Jameson wondered.

WHAT THEY'RE UP TO:

"That's it!" Nick said, holding a finger in the air. "We're going to build up your courage, little sprite! Now let's go get you into town!"

"But…he's a forest spirit and inheritor of the will of Shishigami, he can't just leave the-" Squirrel began.

"Can't means WON'T!" Nick snapped. He picked Key up and he ran towards the town. "Now let's boogie!"

"AAAA!!!" Key yelled as Nick took off a high speed, Chopsuey right behind him.

"…he's taken off…with a woodland spirit…" Squirrel groaned and covered his face. "He's TOTALLY violating the natural rules of the reikai!"

…

…

…

… "Four tickets please!"

THE FIRST ATTEMPT: THE MOVIES!

"See?" Nick asked as he pointed up at the screen. It was a showing of the new "Naruto" movie. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Did you see all that hot ninja action?" Somebody in a costume asked his friend as they sat at the other side. "Wicked, huh?"

"…that sounded so wrong…on so many levels." Nick mumbled.

"I don't think I like Sasuke." Chops mumbled.

"Cuz he reminds you of yourself?" Nick laughed.

"Hey! I'd NEVER betray my closest friends just for the sake of revenge!" Chops growled. "That's cowardly!"

"Did you remember that one part at the bridge?" Nick asked Key, still looking at the movie credits as they finished. "You don't even need powers to stand up for what's right!"

He turned his head and saw Key was unconscious…he'd fainted.

"Sorry…he passed out ten minutes into the film…that first fight scene was too much." Squirrel apologized. Nick slapped his face.

THE SECOND ATTEMPT: THE ARCADE!

"Alright…we just need to let out some inner aggression!" Nick insisted as Squirrel held Key up to the controls of a fighting game. There were boxing gloves upon his wrist.

"Now I've put it in "training" mode." Nick said. "Just pretend that the dummy is somebody who wants to burn down the forest and let him have it!" He proclaimed.

Key held up the glove controller and quivered. He nervously raised it and let loose a single "bop" to the dummy. A "ding" noise was heard.

"AAA!" He yelled, falling off of Squirrel and running over to a trash can, diving straight inside.

"Er…is there an easier setting?" Squirrel inquired.

"Not beyond THIS one, no…" Chops told him, taking over and whacking the crap out of the training dummy. "Any other bright ideas?"

THE THIRD ATTEMPT: JUST LET IT OUT!

"Okay, I'm gonna be a poacher." Nick said as they stood in a meadow outside of the forest. "I'm going to make off with all your women unless you stand up to me!" He said, jabbing his thumb at his chest. "Now just point at me and say "Get outta my forest" as strongly as you can!"

"Why can't I do it?" Chops asked, scratching his chest.

"Because frankly, you look like an oni, or an ogre." Squirrel told him. "It's the teeth, really."

Chops tapped his lower fangs, which jutted upward. "You mean my "dragon fangs"? Aw, **c'mon**…I'm not THAT scary!"

"Alright, give it a shot." Nick told Key, who quivered and held up a finger.

"G-Get…get out…get…out…" He stuttered.

Then Key finally let out a squeal and covered his head, groaning in fear.

"…I guess it can't he helped." Squirrel mumbled, taking out his forest-green book from his bag and holding it up. "Go ahead…burn the-"

TACKLE!

Squirrel fell to the ground, and the book went flying up…and Nick and Chops gasped as a red-haired man grabbed it, and then Key!

"AAAA!!!" Key shouted as he squirmed around. The red-haired man walked over to a reddish experiment with a big nose, who smirked.

"HA! Now then, Squirrel, you'd better do what we say!" The experiment yelled, pointing at 628.

"YOU! I know you! You're NOSY!" Chops growled. "You posted the contents of my journal all over the cafeteria and I was a laughingstock for a whole week!" He snarled.

"My partner Jameson and I want Squirrel to become our ally, and if you don't we'll do something nasty to the sprite here! Probably involving wet-willies." Nosy told them. "Mostly because nobody gave us any torture equipment and Jameson usually faints at the sight of blood…"

"HEY!" Mr. Jameson snapped.

With that, they turned and ran off, laughing. "AFTER THEM!" Nick shouted.

**Review and enjoy another preview!**

**Nick: You can't hide from us you little jerk!**

**Nosy: What are we gonna do?**

**???: Nosy, WHAT'S taking so long to get Squirrel to join our cause?**

**Chopsuey: Who are you?**

**???: I'm the one who's going to blast you into pieces!**

**Squirrel: Key...don't be afraid. You'll prove your worth on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!  
**


	44. Protect Your Partner! Squirrel VS Jam!

**CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR**

**あなたのパートナーを守る！リス対ジャム！**

**Protect Your Partner! Squirrel VS Jam!**

**---------------------------------------------------**

Our heroes took off at top speed, running over hill and under lane, recklessly tearing through trees and poison ivy! Leaping upon their prey as fangs glistened and blood flowed!

"Feel particularly compelled to keep up with the story?" Nick asked.

"No, not really." Chops admitted.

"Me neither." Nosy added.

HEY! NO COMMENTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY!

"Can you just skip to the part where we chase them to the beach?"

FINE! Fine…

Our heroes finally chased Nosy and Mr. Jameson all the way down to a beach that had many large towers of rocks positioned all around. Smirking, Jameson raised his spell book up. "**Nechinechi!**" He announced as Nosy turned to face the rock tower behind them. He spat out a disgusting wad of pinkish gum that stuck to the tower, and Jameson promptly tossed Key right up! The little forest sprite stuck to the gum and the two "villains" turned around to come face to face with a very-annoyed Chopsuey and Nick.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Now if you want the little fairy to come down…" Nosy began, speaking to Squirrel, who stood behind Chops and Nick. "You've gotta join forces with us!"

"Like HECK I will." Squirrel snapped.

"Fine then…we'll make you! I wanted to test this out on Page, but I guess you can substitute for him, "Choppy"!" Nosy laughed as Jameson held the book up.

"**SAIKYOU-SUPPAI!**" Jameson read from the book as Nosy took a deep breath, and then propelled a MASSIVE snot blast that swirled around like a missle, lime green in color, smelling of brimstone…and BURNING the rocks that were in it's path!

"Howdya like THEM apples!?" Nosy laughed. "This'll melt anything…you guys included!"

"Riiiight…ah-hem. **PERCUTIO! IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick yelled out, pointing forward as he held his book up. Chopsuey lazily tossed the bomb trigger at the blast and it sank in, then he shot a fist blast right at it.

THWA-WHOOOM!

The snot blast was dissipated into a million pieces. Nosy and Jameson grabbed each other, their legs shaking like a leaf in the wind as they looked at the glaring Nick and Chopsuey…neither of them could match the fury in SQUIRREL'S dark green eyes though. His body tensed as he cracked his knuckles, licking his fangs with his tongue.

"Give…me back…my PARTNER." He snarled.

"Qu-quick!" Nosy gulped. "Cast another spell!" He squeaked out.

Jameson hastily cast another spell. "**KEMURI!**" He yelled out, as Nosy spat out dark smoke that covered everyone's field of vision. "What are we gonna do?" Jameson asked his partner. "Our ultimate spell was blown to heck!"

"And all the other spells are just special effects…" Nosy said, gulping. "We're gonna die, we're gonna die!" He sobbed. "We've got to run!"

"But we CAN'T run!" Mr. Jameson insisted, and they both hit the ground, getting on their knees and quivering in fright.

"You're right…if we try and run, then…" Nosy bit his lip. "We're so-AAA!"

He caught sight of Squirrel shimmying up the rock that his partner was stuck to, trying to free him. "Hold on Key, I'll get you down!" He said cheerfully.

"AAA! If he gets him down, then HE'S going to…" Jameson gasped, biting his nails.

"Hold on Key, it's all right!" Squirrel crooned to his tearful partner. "It's all-"

THWOCKA!

Squirrel was knocked clear off the tower and fell to the ground. He rubbed his head and, along with the shocked Nick and Chops, and the TERRIFIED Jameson and Nosy, saw the experiment at the top of the tower and his partner. The human was a dark-looking person in a cloaked hood…but it appeared to be a guy based on the general body outline, which was athletic in appearance. This person had the cloak billowing out behind him and they could see the flash of steely eyes beneath the hood as his partner frowned down at Jameson and Nosy…

The experimental partner of this cloaked person was a purple, bat-like experiment with a big nose. He had fairly long ears that were patterned with purple and light purple stripes and had a tail with a tuft that was the same coloration as the ears. He had four arms with sharp claws and his dark eyes stared down intently at Jameson and Nosy.

"Jameson…I told you to increase our numbers by ONE. What's taking so long?" He inquired.

"It's…it's JAM!" Nosy whispered, eyes bulging with fear.

"Just-just hold on a minute…w-we were just about to get him to join us, r-right, Nosy?" Jameson said, stuttering as he spoke.

The bat experiment's eyes glittered. "_Wait another minute?_ Don't lie, you're HORRID at it." He told Jameson, pointing with a single claw, his eyes gazing like a hawk. "You were going to RUN, weren't you?"

"Ab-absolutely not!" Nosy sobbed, covering his head.

_"What's so scary about a bat?"_ Nick wondered in his head.

"SQUIRREL! Protector of the forest!" Jam yelled out, looking down at the green experiment. "We require awesome power. Why don't you just join forces with my group quietly?"

"So YOU'RE the one who sent Tweedledee and Tweedledum?" Squirrel inquired, tilting his head to the side. "I'm not interested! In fact, I'm burning my book, that's why I asked Chopsuey to come here." He told Jam, smirking.

"…how…BORING." Jam mumbled. "And how IRRITATING!" He added, his claws twitching as his wings were raised high. "You have power and you won't even USE it?! What an asshole…"

"**SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**" His book keeper read, holding up the purple book he carried.

Jam's wings were encased in a dark purple shine as swirls of laser energy sailed down from them, spiraling down to crush Squirrel!

"**IMPERIUM!**" Nick yelled out as Chopsuey's body surged with speed and power. He grabbed his fellow "greenie" and took off through the air, and the attack missed, sending sand flying into the air with the force of a torpedo blast. As Chopsuey put Squirrel down, Jam crossed his arms, nodding his head.

"I see…somebody's in the way. Hello, 621. Why don't you be a good little experiment and step out of the way, and I'll spare you?" Jam inquired.

"What sort of person would abandon their cousin, their FRIEND?!" Chops growled, clenching his fists. "It's cowardly!"

Jam blinked, then turned his head to the side. "Such a boring ideal…" He muttered. "Don't you know? Shooting down idiots who won't fight…who turn their back and try to run…" He turned to face them again and smiled a toothy grin. "That's my favorite pastime!"

"What a JERK!" Nick snarled, clenching his fist. No WONDER Jameson and Nosy were so scared of this bat…he was bats—t insane!

"RRRAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Chopsuey leapt up through the air, body still glowing, and SLAMMED his fists into Jam…

But Jam, although pained, looked very confident as he grabbed onto Chops's hands hard. "So it's a body-strengthening spell? That head-on approach is so half-baked!" He laughed, leaping high into the air as his wings glowed and he thrust his claws forward at Chops.

"**REDAGUN!**" His book owner read out.

WUDDA-WUDDA-WUDDA! His wings shot out quick laser blasts that whizzed towards Chopsuey, who covered his body and jumped back, heading back down to the ground.

"25, 26, 27, 28…" The book owner of Jam spoke up.

"Hmm…almost there." Jam laughed.

WOOP!

The spell was over. Chops turned his head to see Jam coming right at his side!

"**BOUGAI!**" His book owner yelled out. Jam's wings slammed together and formed a large, blade like appendage that SLAMMED hard into Chopsuey, driving him into the beach and making him groan. Jam frowned slightly, looking up at his book keeper, who was climbing down from the rock tower.

"Ri, why didn't you use that other spell?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I didn't want to waste my heart power." Ri told him.

"This is bad…they're on a different level than us!" Squirrel whispered.

"Don't go wastin' time with the bat!" Nick yelled. "Aiming for the partner will restrict his movements, right?"

"Petty, aren't you?" Nosy asked. "Jameson?"

Just as Chops leapt at Ri, Jameson read out a spell. "**HEDORO!**"

GLORCH! A disgusting snot bubble struck Chops's leg, making him slip and fall on the ground as it exploded. The green experiment groaned in disgust. "You could not POSSIBLY be any more gross!" He hollered at Nosy.

"**KAISEN!**"

Nosy, aka the KING of Petty tricks, promptly SNEEZED on him and Chops found himself covered in dusty-little dots. "I STAND CORRECTED!" He snarled as his entire body began to itch up a tremendous storm. "AAA! AAAAA! I have itches in places that don't exist!" He screamed.

"Oh, that's a DIRTY spell!" Nick snarled.

"**SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**" Ri announced…and the moment he did, Chops leapt up with all his might straight at Jam, arms held up, taking the attack head on, even as he closed his eyes and his body was burning with pain.

"HA-HA-HA-HA! What a tough little ogre!" Jam laughed as he swept through the air and kicked Chops square in the head, knocking him away. "Leaping at me through an attack? Even when you can't SEE me? Crafty, aren't you?"

"I…WON'T FORGIVE YOU!" Chops yelled as he stood up, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. "Squirrel doesn't want to be involved in this…your cruelty can't go unpunished!"

Squirrel blinked in surprise. Then he smiled happily. It reminded him of when he'd first met Kiijuma.

…

…

…

… "AAA!"

Squirrel floundered about, gasping in pain. The water was filling his lungs…how much longer could he stay above it?

"HELP!" He screamed pitifully. "SOMEONE, **PLEASE**! HELP!"

He'd been knocked, book and all, into the ocean by that attack. Samael had left him to rot, thinking he'd be eaten by a shark, and for all Squirrel knew he MIGHT be if he didn't do something!

But nobody was coming…nobody was out here…and he was so tired…

"Help…somebody…help…" He mumbled, slipping into unconsciousness.

He was drifting in and out of a dreamy state, and didn't hear it…the cries of somebody coming close…or feel the hands that used all their strength to lift an object far bigger than they were up into their little boat…

…

…

…

… that self-sacrifice…

He HAD to do something! He HAD to!

"Ha-ha-ha! That stupid kid is wide open!" Jam laughed, aiming his wings at Nick as his partner held his book up.

"**SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**"

The pulsing wing blast swept through the air, and…

BA-BOOOOM!

Nick shielded himself and Chops gasped as Squirrel spat out a tooth, his body shaking.

"…hmmm." Jam mumbled, rubbing his chin. "Stopping it with your body alone? How impressive…"

"W-w-what?" Key whispered.

"Look at me, Key…this might be the last time you see me…but I want you to remember how hard I fought for you!" Squirrel thought to himself. He clenched his fist as his fur bristled, his fangs and claws growing larger as his muscles bulged and he let out a war cry.

"Not bad." Jam admitted. He raced through the air, aiming at Nick…

Only to find Squirrel had leapt up into the air and was snarling right in his face!

"WHAT THE-?!" Jam gasped. Quick, a spell! No, it was too late!

WHUDDA-WHOOOM!

Squirrel SLAMMED his claws straight into Jam, making him scream. With a mighty crash, Jam hit the beach, blood oozing from his chest as he stood up. "RI, WHY THE HELL DID YOU NOT USE A SPELL!?" He snarled.

"I've already used a lot of spells." He said. "We have to ration what we've got, our we'll be cut down, remember?"

"…so…ANOTHER interference…and this time from the one who's power we had originally hoped to obtain." Jam mused. "Well, Squirrel…"

He rushed forward, claws itching to tear. "YOU'D BETTER NOT SCREW AROUND WITH MEEEEE!"

"RAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Squirrel howled, rushing forward.

Key watched in horror, Nick in nervousness, Nosy and Jameson in utter fear and Chops in amazement as the two experiments traded blows. Even WITHOUT spells Squirrel was simply AMAZING in terms of strength!

Ri, however, saw an opening as Squirrel slashed downward with his claws. "That's it! **SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**"

WHA-WOOOM!

The attack struck full on…

And Squirrel still stood there, blood dripping down thickly from his chest, stomach and face. He spat on the ground and looked up, eyes gleaming white with fury.

"You took that head on? Without spells?" Jam inquired. "How fascinating!"

"GRAAAH!"

Squirrel's tail shot forth, grabbing Jam and flinging him to the side. He then leapt up through the air and with a mighty slice, struck the piece of rock that Key was attached to down, grabbing onto the rock with his other hand and jumping down. He let Key down onto the beach and looked into Key's frightened, tear-filled eyes.

"…Key…do I frighten you?" He asked.

Key covered his face, body all a-quiver.

"I know I do…but the thing is…" Squirrel gently reached up and brushed a lock of Key's hair to the side. "When a person gets serious about protecting something…he gets very scary."

"…S…Squirrel…" Key whimpered, putting his hands down.

"I don't know what you truly think of my form right now. I don't know if this appearance is wrong or right…but I do know that it's necessary." He told Key. "Because I love you so much."

He turned away as Key covered his head and Squirrel reached up to his cheeks, feeling tears streaming down…feeling them with sharp claws that had never been so cruel and large…

"I am a monster…" He whispered. "I can only protect you in this savage form…"

Key stopped quivering slightly, wiping his eyes as he watched Squirrel move forward. He almost looked like he wanted to speak!

"Hiding over there?" Jam laughed. "RI!"

"**REDAGUN!**"

The multi-laser wing blast tore at Squirrel's flesh, but he protected Key from the blasts, turning his head slightly. "Don't just stand there, RUN!" He yelled.

Key quivered slightly, then took off, panting rapidly as he tore down the beach. Jam frowned. "He's RUNNING?! What a-"

"**PERCUTIO!**"

THWOOOMP!

Jam gasped as he felt something ENTER his body and he snarled, turning on Nick and Chopsuey. "What did you just do!?" He demanded to know.

"You'll find out in two seconds! **IADE-"**

Too late!

"**SAIKYOU-BOU!**"

Nick and Chops were covered in a net as Nosy and Jameson laughed, kicking them over and over.

"HA! How'dya like THAT!? Told you I was badass!" Nosy cackled.

"Ain't so big NOW, are you, boy?" Jameson added.

"Idiots, all of them, but at least those OTHER idiots are useful." Jam snickered. Then he frowned as Squirrel leapt through the air, kicking them away. The protector of the forest tried to tear through the net with his claws only to find it was VERY strong.

"What's this fool thing MADE of?!" He growled.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Jameson yelled. "**SAIKYOU-SUPPAI!**"

TWHOOSH!

Squirrel screamed as his back took a direct hit from the acid blast, and blood splurted out from his mouth. Key continued to watch from behind a rock, eyes wide.

"…_Key…do I frighten you?"_

_"I know I do…but the thing is…when a person get's serious about protecting something…he gets very scary. I don't know what you truly think of my form right now. I don't know if this appearance is wrong or right…but I do know that it's necessary…"_

Key's body became warm…so warm…

_"Because I love you so much."_

His eyes narrowed.

"Let's finish them with our strongest spell." Jam said, standing before Nick, Chops and Squirrel.

"Agreed." Ri said, nodding his head and lifting his book.

"Oh no! Quick, we've gotta do something!" Nick yelled. "Maybe if we-WOAH…" His eyes went wide. "KEY?!"

"KEY!?"

"WHAT?!" Jam turned around, eyes wide.

There he stood…the little forest sprite was clutching his opened book as furious tears streamed down his cheeks, light bursting forth from the book's pages.

"…so…the kiddy wants to play?" Jam asked, looking amused.

"**HAYASHI!**" Key screamed.

Squirrel raised his claws up, and Jam had only a few seconds to dodge, and it was a good thing that he did, because an ENORMOUS swell tree shot out from the ground, carving up into the air and blasting sand all over as it shot up like a missile that had been hidden in the ground. As it dissolved in mid-air, all that was left behind to show where it had emerged from was a crater.

"…bitchin'…" Chops whispered.

"That's some seriously powerful sauce there." Nick admitted.

"GRRRR…" Jam's eyes narrowed as he dove for Key, claws curling. Quickly Nick pointed forward.

"THERE! **PERCUTIO!**"

THWOOOM!

Jam turned around and sidestepped as he saw a metal ball sink into a rock nearby him. He smirked and pointed at them, laughing. "Ha-ha! Looks like you missed! Can't you even pull of the simplest of heroics?"

"Like THIS? **IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick yelled out.

Chopsuey stuck his fists out through the rope and the attack sailed through the air. Jam stepped to the side again as it whizzed through the air…

And THROUGH the rock that had been struck! It grew larger and turned as it did so, hitting him right in the chest! Jam screamed as his body shuddered with pain, his vision almost blacking out as he hit the ground.

"So that "Percutio" thing guides their shots AND builds up power. Not bad." Ri thought to himself. "Not that it matters though…" He added as Key ran over to Squirrel, Nick and Chops. "We're going to finish you now at point-blank range."

"Oh no you won't!" Key yelled. "WE'RE GONNA SAVE MY NEW FRIENDS!" He shouted.

Squirrel smiled. "Yeah…and we're doing it TOGETHER!" He said, placing his hands on the ground.

"Oh really? Prove it!" Jam laughed as his wings spread out.

"**REDAHANE!**"

Now his wing shot out BLADES of energy that swirled down straight at the trapped Nick and Chopsuey, but Squirrel and Key were ready!

"**YUURIN!**" Key yelled out.

WOOMPA!

A bunch of tree trunks shot out from different angles, stopping the blow, shielding Nick and Chops from harm as leaves grew out from the trees and gently fell down upon the ropes.

"WH-WHAT? You SHIELDED them?!" Jam gasped, falling to the ground. He gaped for a few moments…then he lowered his head, quivering madly.

"To think you'd put up this much of a fight…I shouldn't have underestimated you…"

He looked up, his eyes blazing, his claws twitching, snarling with a horrid scowl. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO DO TO YOU!!!????!!!!"

"Alright Chops, I'm getting sick of him!" Nick yelled as the tree shield vanished. "Let's-"

Key stood in front of the net, holding up a hand. He shook his head at them.

"WE'LL protect you, Chops." Squirrel said. "You too, Nick. We're going to use "that" spell and end it."

He smiled at Key. "Key…you've truly become courageous…even more so than when I used to fight with you. I'm proud of you. Even if I'm not around anymore…you'll be an excellent protector of the forest." He said happily, putting his hand on Key's head and rubbing it warmly.

"…"

"**SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**"

The attack was flung through the air…

"Thank you…Squirrel." Key whispered, tears streaming down his face as he held the book up.

"It was a blast." Squirrel laughed gently as he took up a fighting position.

"**GENSHIRIN!**"

Right before their eyes Squirrel's body was covered with leaves that snaked around him, and he was now clad in armor made of a mesh of trees, leaves, plants and moss, with claws made of sharp stone and his eyes glittering underneath a helm of trees that made him look like a samurai. He rushed forward and slammed his claws full-throttle at the oncoming attack, tearing it apart like it was tissue paper…

WHADDA-WHOOOOOOOOM!

…

…

…

…the beach had deep scars left in it, like a thousand missiles had slammed into it, and Jameson and Nosy had SWAM for it. Amazingly, Jam was still alive…he'd shielded his book keeper as best he could and now Ri stood up, lifting Jam up as he did so. He held his partner in his arms and then ran off…Jam was CLEARLY unconscious and deeply wounded.

Key had fainted, unable to continue…but Squirrel's smile was unmatched. He held Chops and Nick's hand, his form returned to normal with them out of the rope at last.

"Thanks to you guys Key can finally stand up for himself. I've got no regrets. He'll protect the forest and be a true guardian like he was always meant to be."

"…I'm sorry that you can't stay." Nick said.

"It's alright…this isn't my fight. But I wonder where I'll go?" Squirrel mused. "Even though Key doesn't need me anymore, it would be nice to see him again."

He held the book up. "Chops…Nick…thank you for everything. Please make sure that you or your friends become good champions."

"…I will." Chops said, nodding.

"You know…I think I'm looking at two champions right now." Nick said, as Squirrel gently kissed Key on the forehead one last time.

…

…

…

… "You botched it. I'm not happy, Jam. Not…happy."

"Shut it, Heatwave. I may be cooperating with you, but I'm NOT your slave." Jam snapped.

"Yes, yes, just remember that if I'm NOT here, the plan can't be executed. Everyone just follow my orders, remember? We need to gain more power…"

The experiment smirked evilly. "If we are to destroy the lock that is Senkoukura's Seal…"

"Just give it to me straight. How much power do actually NEED?" Jam inquired.

"We need two or three more assistants in this endeavor…at LEAST. And I expect some people have become aware of Senkoukura, so you'd better hurry up. It's true that the magical machine within here shields us so nobody on the outside could see us, but there are those with that "radar" that can pick us up."

She turned around, twirling her staff. "I don't know if there are any experiments with such heightened perception left, but if they ARE, and if they team up with others to try and find this place, that would piss me off…" She grit her teeth. "VERY MUCH. And so…"

She turned around, smirking. "We must release the seal before they do and consign those weaklings to oblivion, so that this sinful world can be redeemed. Now then, Jam…go rest up and then get a move on. There's a certain twosome I want you to meet with!"

**REVIEW! And enjoy this preview of the next chappie!**

**Nick: Who the heck is this person?**

**Sara: I'm sorry, this is the first time I've really seen another experiment...**

**Chopsuey: I can understand WHY, with the weird partner you have...**

**Crystallene: I'M GONNA KICK YOUR SKINNY PINK ASS!!!**

**Nick: Woah! Sister's gonna BLOW on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	45. The Weasel Dies Tonight!

**CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE**

**は、イタチ****/****倒錯者今夜死ぬ！**

**The Weasel/Pervert Dies Tonight!**

**--------------------------------------------**

"Listening to you…I get the music! Gazing at you…I get the heat! Following you…I climb the mountain! I get excitement at your feeeeeet! Right behind you…I see the millions! In you…I see the glory! From you…I get opinions! From you…I get the storyyyy!"

Nick was walking down the sidewalk, headed back for home. He'd gone out to get Chinese food for dinner tonight and was anxious to sink his teeth into a double order of steamed pork dumplings with a side order of pork fried rice. Chopsuey had asked for General Tso's Chicken…a LARGE order with a coke. He had gotten himself a root beer, personally…

Also, Crystallene and Yuuku, along with Heartwing and Dude, had arrived at the house for a visit, so he'd gotten stuff for them too. He hoped that the order of Duck was-

It was then that his attention was diverted to the flailings of something in the nearby river. He gasped at the sight of an innocent animal trying desperately to stay afloat. Quickly putting down the food and running to the river, he grabbed a stick and held it out. "GRAB AHOLD!" He shouted. "Hold onto the stick!"

…

…

…

… "Excuse me…"

Chops had answered the door and found himself face to face, along with Crystallene and Heartwing, with somebody who was undoubtedly an odd-looking girl…she was dressed like a nun. How strange.

"Er…who are you?" He asked calmly.

"I'm Sara." The girl said. She had purple/blue eyes and looked very, VERY nervous. "That's a very interesting costume you have on…"

Chops decided to go with that. "Thank you! I'm told I look like a real ogre."

"Yes, you do! I'm knocking on doors in this neighborhood because I've…um…lost my pet…" She mumbled.

"What kind of pet is it?" Chops inquired.

"Well you see, it's a kind of weasel…"

…

…

…

… Nick had rescued the animal and was very intrigued at what it looked like. It was like a dark pink weasel, with a rounded nose, a long tail and a curious pair of black eyes. It's ears were HUGE, and they reminded Nick of satellites.

"…these ears of yours sure are weird…" He thought out loud as the little thing coughed some water out. "Wait a minute…"

The tail was clutching something. Nick frowned. "That's a pair of underwear!" He realized. "That's not YOURS, is it? Why are you holding onto it? What an odd thing!"

Then he blinked. "Wait…the only reason you'd be holding onto something like that is if you weren't an ordinary animal at all!" He gasped. "You must be an experiment-"

TWHOOP!

WHOOMF!

The experiment promptly pulled down Nick's pants, then kicked him straight into the river. Nick went sailing with a cry and sank inside while the experiment ran off.

Meanwhile, Sara was talking with the others. "Yes, I'm a nun…well, a nun-in-training. I wanted to be a veterinarian, but my "Career Test" said THIS was what I was best suited for." She told them, pointing at her outfit. She had a handbag with a book inside that Crystallene was looking at. "I can't seem to find my pet anywhere…"

"Wait…are you an owner of an experiment?" Crystallene asked, pointing at the book. "That book's a dead giveaway…it's a nice shade of purple/pink, too!"

"Oh, really? Thank you…wait…" Sara blinked. "You're not costumed? You're actually?..."

They all nodded. Heartwing smiled.

"This is a first for me…I haven't encountered any other experiments…" She admitted.

"Here, come on in and I'll get you something to drink." Chops offered, leading Sara inside to the kitchen. She sat down in a chair as Chops poured her a cola. "So what brings you here to Hawaii? A fight?"

"No, no, I hate fighting! This whole contest is wrong." Sara insisted.

"I know what you mean. I only fight bad people. I want to become a good and just champion who will convince the father who made us not to have these competitions anymore."

"R-Really? That's so sweet!" Sara said, smiling happily. She didn't notice that right outside the screen door was her partner.

"Yes, my partner's very nice too." Chops agreed.

"Uh-huh! He went to go get Chinese food for all of us!" Crystallene told them.

"I wonder what's taking him so long?" Yuuku wondered.

"Maybe he got mugged?" Dude wondered.

"CHOOOOPS!"

Nick burst into the room, eyes aflame, teeth gnashing, scowling horribly. He looked a LOT like a demon right now. "GET OUTSIDE, IT'S CLOBBERING TIME!"

"Uh…what?" Chops inquired, tilting his head to the side.

"AN EXPERIMENT THAT LOOKS LIKE A WEASEL!" Nick yelled.

"Oh, that's my partner…" Sara mumbled. "Look, this fight is wrong…"

"HE PULLED MY PANTS DOWN, KNOCKED ME INTO THE RIVER, AND ATE MY DUMPLINGS!" Nick screamed, pointing out the screen door at the experiment. "AND THERE HE IS!"

The experiment gulped as Nick pointed right at her.

FIVE…SECONDS…LATER…

"I can't believe he broke down the screen door." Crystallene mumbled as she ran after Nick, who was holding onto Chops with one hand. Heartwing was right in front of her and Sara was desperately trying to keep up with Nick and Chops.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE WEASEL!" Nick screamed, chasing after the experiment as they ran down the road. It turned a corner and Nick snarled angrily.

"Please! Shush and I don't want to fight! I'm only interested in peace, I haven't even met a single experiment before!"

"THOU SHALL NOT LIE!" Nick snarled. "How can you POSSIBLY have not-"

Then he heard Crystallene shriek! They stopped and turned around…

And saw that Shush had tweaked her tail.

"AAA! Not the TAIL!" Sara shrieked.

"YOU LITTLE!!!" Crystallene howled as Shush ran past them at top speed. "GET HIM!"

"YEAAAAH!" Nick screamed. The two injured parties ran after the weasel as fast as they could, although Crystallene soon rushed ahead. She dove at Shush, but the experiment quickly jumped over a fence, then twirled around a branch, then leapt over a roof, all fluidly, all so fast…

"She can't CATCH him?" Nick gasped as Shush continued to dodge all of Crystallene's rage-driven snatches. "It's like she's got eyes in the back of her head!"

Then he realized it…her EARS! They were like satellites, a way to pick up movement and communication…this experiment could determine where an opponent was coming from and keep far away!

"Crystallene!" Nick yelled out. She stopped running and came to a halt, panting. "Listen, we need a PLAN to catch him. He'll keep dodging and running off if we try to chase him, so we've got to set a trap…"

…

…

…

…it was simple enough to make a trap. Mostly because there was still a large amount of Chinese food left over. Watching from the bushes far off near the park, Crystallene peeked through a pair of binoculars and waited as Shush approached the bag. She happily dove towards it to snack on MSG-filled goodness, and then…

BA-WHOOOOM!

Down she went into a pit they'd dug! In a few minutes Sara was holding tightly onto Shush while Crystallene cracked her knuckles. "It's CLOBBERIN' time!" She growled.

"Wait, hold on! Love thy neighbor as thyself!" Sara insisted, holding up a hand. "Please forgive Shush…she's quite a perverted little weasel! She just loves pushing people's buttons!"

"It could have been worse." Yuuku admitted. "At least you don't wear panties that could be shown off."

"But she's holding onto a pair of panties in her tail!" Dude said, pointing at Shush.

**SFX: BOING!**

There was a pink pair of panties that read "Juicy" on the front in big red letters, and Shush was trying to hide it behind her body. Yuuku's eyes went wide as she instinctively reached into her backpack full of extra clothes…and realizing that SOMEBODY had gone into it!

"She took your PANTIES? WOW, she's fast!" Chops complimented.

"Why does it say-" Nick began. But he didn't finish because Crystallene started strangling him. "GAAAAKKK!"

"DON'T **LOOK** AT IT, YOU IDIOT!" She growled.

"GRRR…I'M GONNA KILL THAT LITTLE WEASEL!" Yuuku snarled.

"Oh Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name, please calm these girl's anger!"

"Mi-mi-mi…" Heartwing blubbered, holding his hands over his head and curling up in a ball-like form.

"I don't think we can stop them." Nick said as Crystallene and Yuuku prepared for a fight. "That weasel's deader than a drunken Mel Gibson in a synagogue."

"Let go of those panties!" Sara shouted, trying to tug them free from Shush, who refused to let go.

"**Praesidium!**" Yuuku roared. Snarling angrily, Crystallene launched a crescent wave right at Shush…

Who broke free of Sara and cartwheeled to the side, still clutching onto the panties! The attack struck the ground in front of Sara, leaving a crater, and the girl's eyes went wide. "EEEEEE!!!" She shrieked.

"Hmm…she's more freaked out than she should be…" Chops admitted.

"No, not really…a lot of experimental spells are pretty violent. I mean, you punch people, Morpholomew can turn into a giant, we can't forget Kolobos's spells…" Nick defended.

"I must do something! I must end this fight right now!" Sara quivered, looking through the book and reading a spell. "**Kinchou**!"

TWHOOOOMP! Right before their eyes Shush's ears extended like rocket-propelled arms. Sara let loose a sigh of relief. "Yes! Steal the book and end this-"

POINK! GROPE-GROPE!

Shush groped Crystallene's breasts, then the ears snapped back into place.

"…fight…"

"Oh boy." Nick gulped.

"Oh God help me!" Sara screamed, covering her head as Crystallene's body surged with rage.

"I AM GONNA SMACK THIS LITTLE MONKEY!" Crystallene screamed. "YUUKU!"

Yuuku had calmed down a LITTLE bit, but not by much. She held the book up. **"Praesidium, Praesidium, Praesidium!"**

TWHOOSH-THWOOSH, THWOOSH! The attacks sailed through the air but Shush kept dodging around, jumping left and right and REFUSING to give up the panties. Then she leapt right towards them!

"AAA! Keep him away from me! **CONTEGO**!" Yuuku hollered, as Crystallene raised the glass shield around them.

Sara saw the shield and assumed the worst. "AAA! She'll hurt herself if she touches it! Quick, another spell…" She looked into the book. "**KIKITORI**!"

Right before their eyes Shush stopped in midair and then sank into the ground. Everyone blinked in surprise. "She can do THAT?"

"Makes some sense…her spells are all about getting close to others to listen in on conversations and whatnot." Chops admitted. "A spell to reach out and grab enemy documents, a spell to sink into the ground…wait, what if?"

What if indeed! POP! Up Shush went, appearing behind Crystallene and kicking her square in the butt!

"YEEEOOOOWWWW!" Crystallene yelled.

"I can't believe it. A bunch of useful spells and all she's doing is being naughty." Nick groaned.

"Hail Mary, Mother of God! Hail Mary, Mother of God! Hail Mary, Mother of God!" Sara pleaded, clasping her hands together and bowing her head over and over.

"WHY I OUGHTAAA!" Crystallene howled as the shield went down. She whipped around, fist raised to CLOCK the weasel.

"AAA! Please let this spell protect her! **KEICHOU**!"

Shush suddenly pursed her lips and let out a "shhh". A whispery trail of light encircled Crystallene, and…

"What the?"

Crystallene's movements were now VERY, VERY slow. It was a time-freezing spell!

"Another helpful spell…this one can be used on unexpectant foes so she can sneak a peek at documents without them ever knowing!" Chops realized. "Wow, Shush would make a great spy!"

"She also is making Crystallene very PISSED." Nick said, pointing forward.

Shush calmly walked around Crystallene and then took out a marker that she'd been hiding in a pouch that was strapped around her waist, drawing "Kick Me" on the back of Crystallene. Then she got a mean idea and leaned in close, and-

"OH MY HOLY-" Nick shouted.

"…gaaaaawwww…." Heartwing gaped.

"Dude…that's seriously uncool." Dude remarked.

"Uh…guys…Crystallene's face…" Chops whispered.

"SORRY! SORRY!" Sara shouted. "I didn't know it was that kind of spell!"

"You don't know what ANY of the spells do, do you?" Yuuku asked, sighing and covering her face with one hand.

"…no…" Sara admitted quietly.

KA-THWOCKA!

Crystallene was returned to normal and her punch sent Shush flying back to Sara, who caught her partner. The spell only lasted about half a minute.

"Crystallene…calm down…" Nick begged. "It could have been worse…I think…"

"COULDA BEEN WORSE?!" Crystallene screamed, bounding up and down, fangs growing out from her mouth like a demon, her fur bristling, eyes flaming. "OOOOH…HAAATE…I HATE-HATE-HATE-HATE-HATE THAT WEASEL!"

"Oh dear." Yuuku moaned.

"OOOOOH! I'm going to give you a punishment so severe that future generations will cringe in fear at it's name… "THE SHUSH!" Crystallene spat.

"Yep. She's off her freakin' nut." Nick decided.

**"**_**ESTUANS **__**INTERIUS, **__**IRA VEHEMENT! ESTUANS INTERIUS IRA VEHEMENT!**_" Crystallene howled, screaming to the skies as she raised her hand.

Yuuku looked down to see her book was glowing more brightly than before…a new spell was awakened!

"Oh boy…I gotta BAD feeling about this…" She admitted.

"Veni, veni, venias, ne me mori facias! Veni, veni, venias, ne me mori facias!" Sara sobbed, bowing her head over and over, pleading with God.

Shush, meanwhile, was playing with the panties, holding them up and making them flap in the wind. She saluted them, sniggering.

"LET GO!" Sara shouted, trying to tug them free, but Shush refused to do so. "Oh God!" Sara screamed "This is the strongest spell we have…PLEASE let this do something to calm that girl's anger!"

Everyone gasped. The strongest spell?

"They're BOTH using new spells? STRONG ones?" Chops asked.

"I don't know what either one will do, but Crystallene's slipped her squiff!" Nick shouted.

**"THE SIXTH SPELL…VINDICO PIACULUM!"**

**"HITAMUKINIKIKU!"**

BOOOIIIIIINNNNG!

Right before their eyes, Shush's ears extended up into the air, taller than a giraffe! And Crystallene's spell appeared as well…

It looked like the crystalline lance of Ministro-Socius, only now there was a goddess at the top of it…her eyes closed, her face calm, her hair falling neatly around her as she held aloft the spear.

"What's with that face?" Dude asked.

"What's with her EARS?" Chops wanted to know, pointing at Shush. Her ears were spinning around and around and around like a helicopter, and right before their eyes she went up…up…up!

And began to fly away.

"WHAAAAA!?!" Sara shouted.

"It's just for running away?" Nick asked.

"Weak sauce, man." Dude mumbled.

"…?" Heartwing tilted his head to the side, confused. Then he saw that the goddess atop the spear that Crystallene was holding had opened her eyes and he gasped.

POOF! Right before their eyes, a large, round crystal ball appeared in the chest of the goddess, and it showed…

Crystallene's first encounter with Shush's perverseness when the weasel had tweaked her tail. The face scowled angrily. Then it showed Yuuku being embarrassed by the panty stealing and the scowl turned into a snarl as the goddess's brow furrowed angrily. Then it showed Crystallene's breasts being groped and the face became FANGED…

"Oh boy…it adds up all the humiliation and anger she's felt and builds up power!" Nick realized.

Then it showed the most embarrassing moment of all…that final tick that had driven Crystallene over the edge…

PA-WHOOM! Horned spikes grew from the goddess's back, a thorny crown appeared upon her forehead as her eyes glowed pure red, the spear became jagged and black and her hair shot out, squirming around like snakes as the goddess howled like a wolf.

"HO-LY-CRAP!" Nick screamed.

"WOAH! Sister's gonna BLOW!" Dude hollered, grabbing Heartwing and diving for the bushes.

**"GRRAAAAAUUUUUUGGGHHHH!!!"** Crystallene howled, throwing the spear. It sailed through the air…

Shush turned around to see it coming right at her and her eyes bugged out as the humongous spear's tip grew larger, and larger and LARGER, teeming with energy!

"Well, she's boned." Yuuku said, putting on a pair of sunglasses.

KRAAAAA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Sara bowed her head, holding her hands together. "Shush, this is surely God's judgment."

Crystallene let loose a sigh of relief, her face returning to normal as she gave the huge cloud of dust that was floating around in the sky above them a happy glance. She looked positively sweet right now, her cheeks rosy. "Ahhh! That felt good to get outta my system!" She said softly.

FWOOOOMP! THA-WUDDA!

Shush hit the ground, burn marks all over her body, quivering madly, her mouth puffed up, making her unable to speak. The panties had been obliterated, which was a shame, because they really were a fine pair of panties.

"Are you going to burn my book?" Sara asked.

"I _OUGHTA_!" Yuuku said. "Your little partner-"

"WAIT!" Chops said, stepping forward. "You have a special radar that can understand the whereabouts of other experiments…so you kept running away and didn't encounter anybody on your travels, right?"

Shush nodded. Sara blinked. "Oh, so THAT'S why…"

"So if THAT'S the case…then you probably have sensed that big "wonder" that's recently appeared…the thing that looks like a big structure, right?" Chops asked, eyes narrowing.

Shush's eyes went wide, she quivered in fear, mouth open, then clung to Sara, sobbing.

"So she DOES know about it." Nick said.

"…then it's settled." Chops said. "Shush…you are going to take us to that place and we're going to find out what it truly is!"

"Some dangerous people have been running around lately...apparently they want to use the "wonder" named "Senkoukura" for something very bad." Nick said.

"Then I shall aid you. It must have been God's divine providence that we met." Sara said, nodding. Shush just gulped.

Yuuku sighed, preparing to put her book away. Then she noticed something…it was still glowing…

And ANOTHER spell had appeared. She looked inside the book, but frowned. How odd…

_"I can't read it?"_ She whispered. _"The letters are glowing…these ones weren't glowing before, but I can't understand them! What kind of spell IS this?"_

…

…

…

…Nick headed into town the next day, going to the Chinese restaurant named "Green Tea" in order to pick up some dumplings that THIS time, he could enjoy. And while he was walking down the sidewalk, who should he encounter but…

"Hey, Nick! _Aloha awakea_!" Lilo shouted as she approached him. He blinked and nervously smiled as she approached.

"_Weli_!" Nick said, smiling as he used the more ancient greeting. "He aha ka mea hou?" He asked.

"Well, a lot of things." Lilo admitted quietly. "Victoria's been so down lately, and I've been trying to cheer her up since she lost her pet."

Nick knew what that really meant. He had heard Victoria's pet bat, Snooty, was an experiment. This meant the little guy had been sent home. "I'm sorry to hear that she's upset." Nick said quietly.

"I've heard that your family's arranged to take you home to the states for some private tutoring for the next month or so." Lilo admitted, rubbing the back of her head.

"Uh…yeah, it's no biggie though. I'll come back…" Nick insisted.

"I want you to have this." Lilo said, holding up a box. Nick took the box in his hands and looked it over.

"Mahalo plenty!" Nick said happily. Then he raised an eyebrow. "But it's not my birthday or anything…how come you-"

"Where are you really going?" Lilo asked.

Nick blinked in surprise. "What?"

"You're an experiment owner…" She nervously looked to the side. "I should have recognized it before…the signs were there…being away so often…meeting with all those people…and Stitch told me he smelled experiments on you when you hugged him that time. Who's your partner?"

"…621. Chopsuey." Nick said quietly. "Chops found out early who Stitch's partner was and told me. Lilo, I wanted to tell you so BAD, but Chops is kind of nervous about approaching Stitch…and me and my friends are going to be leaving soon…"

"I can tell when you've got something on your mind…when you're about to go." Lilo admitted. "You've got this aura…it's like you're a million miles away, you're seeing something far different from the rest of us." She said softly, rubbing her arm. "So I wanted to get you something…"

Nick opened the box up and held the present up. It was a round mood necklace with a shark tooth attached. The back was like a sunburst, shining silver streaks shooting out, and the cool blue surface of the necklace reflected off the light of the sun above them.

"…it's beautiful!" Nick said, putting it around his neck. "I LOVE it!" He hugged Lilo tightly. "And you can bet I'm taking it with me! Mahalo Lilo! And don't worry! I'll come back with Chops to see you and Stitch later!"

He smiled and walked off, waving goodbye as he headed for the restaurant. Lilo gripped the front of her shirt tightly, tears streaming gently down her cheeks.

"Please come back…" She whispered softly. "Be safe…"

…

…

…

… "This is quite the stroke of luck!" Heatwave laughed. "We only need a few more people now."

She smiled. "I'm glad you've decided to help us resurrect Senkoukura…experiment 623, Trainer."

"Don't give me that look. Look at it this way…in a few days, you and your dear, sweet honey can go on your merry way and not have to worry. I always keep my word. Now…" She waved them off. "Get a move on. I've got lots of work to do and little time…"

**Review! And enjoy this new preview!**

**Nick: Well, we're on our way! **

**Chopsuey: We're gonna face down a new, sinister evil! **

**???: You have no idea how dangerous this threat IS...**

**Chops: What the? Ahinahina? What's going on?**

**Ahinahina: It's a long story, but I'll try and explain all I can on the next "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"!**


	46. The Quest to save the World Begins!

**CHAPTER FORTY-SIX**

**真実は不可能！このクエストは、世界の保存を開始！**

**An Impossible Truth! The Quest to Save the World Begins!**

**-------------------------------------------------------**

She had blood red fur, horns upon her head, and a pointed tail. Her wings were small and held close to her body at the moment as she closed her golden eyes, focusing as a orb in the center of her chest pulsed lightly with white flame. She tightly gripped the large staff she held in her clawed hands and growled deeply as the pulsing black orb at the top of the gem emit a strange light, as purple/red energy swirled around like a thousand fireflies were flying in sync within. She began to speak, to utter the spell once again, her wings stretching out as sweat poured from her brow.

_**"私は闇の力にコール！私はあなたを発動する!"**_ She whispered. Wind began to whip around her as the staff shook heavily, almost as heavily as her sweating body.

**_"私は呪いは、 "チャーリー" ！忘却の淵に秋！私にあなたの人生を与える!"_** She roared as a beam of light shot up, going through the roof and out across the sky, like a shooting star. She fell to the ground, panting heavily…

"So…that's my limit…four." She realized, getting back up. "But I have gained a good number of people. At this rate, it'll only be four days before I gain the power that is needed…" She smirked. "Yes, it's all going according to plan. Give your souls to me and with your power he'll awaken…"

…

…

…

…DING-DONG! DING-DONG!

Nick answered the doorbell and smiled at the sight of Ahinahina, who bowed slightly and then hugged him tightly. "Ahinahina! Cousin! How are you?" He asked.

"I've been going around the world to track down your friends." He said as Nick let him inside and they sat down at the kitchen table. He and Nick both took a root beer from the fridge as Chops happily hugged his cousin. "It's good to see you two again! I've got good news and bad news, which do you want to hear first?"

"The good news, please." Chops asked.

"Well…" Ahinahina took a small sip of the root beer. "Spud's on his way here along with Morpholomew, and Crystallene and Yuuku are already in town, as are Heartwing and Dude. But unfortunately…this leads me to the bad news." Ahinahina sighed. "Kim and Trainer have been taken away."

"Why?" Nick asked, horrified.

"Trainer's become the ally of an experiment named Heatwave in order to help destroy the seal that has been placed on Senkoukura. In order to destroy this "lock" on Senkoukura, Heatwave has enlisted the help of several others. But that's not the worst part…"

Ahinahina put the drink down, held his hands together and took a deep breath. "Heatwave used the dark knowledge she gained from sneaking through ancient prophecies and texts to bring Senkoukura from his home to this world, and she uses a dark power to transfer power into Senkoukura. But her most evil spell is a CURSE. There have been four people who were cursed…and if they do not do their part to destroy the seal upon Senkoukura, then…"

He looked down, his eyes hidden by shadow as his hair hung down. "Then they will die…"

Chopsuey and Nick felt a chill go through them as they stiffened at the same time.

"The only way to remove the curse is to break the seal. They can't even kill Heatwave, because even if SHE died, the curse would remain. In four days, they must break the curse or die…either Senkoukura is resurrected and the world comes to an end, or four innocent souls will lose their lives…"

Ahinahina covered his face. "I was able to discover Heatwave's plans by listening to Jam and Ri when they came to take Trainer and Kim away…but I can't do anything more to help you…" He mumbled sadly. "I wish I _could_ though…"

"You've done enough." Nick said, nodding. "We've got to get everyone to meet at the airport so we can get a move on to finding out where Senkoukura is!"

…

…

…

…Pleakley had arraigned for a private jet he had procured to take them wherever they needed…in fact, he was an excellent pilot. Now everyone was located in the waiting area, sitting on couches. There was just one problem…

"TELL US WHERE IT IS ALREADY!!!" Crystallene snarled, strangling Shush as Sara genuflected over and over.

"I don't think that's gonna help her tell you anything if you crush her windpipe." Morpholomew mumbled. "Stranga-Leen Crystallene all over again!"

There was a map on a table in front of them and they were looking down at it as Crystallene let go of Shush. Sara sighed. "I managed to get Shush to tell me a general area as to where Senkoukura is, but…"

She sighed. "Beyond that, she's feigning ignorance. She won't say a thing! And I can tell when she's lying."

"How?"

"Her face." She mumbled, pointing at it.

Sure enough, Shush's face was drooping down somewhat, and she was looking to the side.

"Come on, Shush…just POINT to it." Sara requested.

Shush just picked her own nose, not really wanting to say anything. Sara had an idea though…she'd point at each country one at a time and ask her partner if it was the right one. As long as she kept on lying and saying "yeah, that's the country" with her nods, then her face would return to normal…or betray a moment of shock…when Sara pointed at the right country.

"Australia!" Sara pointed at the country. She received a nod and Shush's face dropped. A lie. "New Zealand!" Dropped face. Another lie. "The islands of Indonesia and New Guinea!" ANOTHER lie. There was only one place left!

"The islands around the Solomon Archipelago and Fiji!"

DROOOP.

"WHA? Then it really wasn't near Australia?" Sara inquired, looking disturbed. But Shush just went back to picking her nose. She wasn't listening or paying any attention at all.

"That's it." Nick said, sitting in front of Shush. "Listen up and listen good!" He demanded as Shush blinked at him. "The seal on the thing you're so scared of breaks in 4 days! And a deep friend of ours has become an ally of those that are trying to break that seal…she was blackmailed into doing so! If she doesn't do what they say, her partner will **die**! And four other people have been blackmailed as well!"

Shush closed her eyes, quivering as her paws curled into fists.

"You know that if something's not done, that in four days the world will be in grave danger, don't you?!" Nick asked. "What's better: hiding under the bed or actually DOING something to stop what's coming? As Page, our dear friend might have said…one can't feel afraid!"

Shush opened her eyes, bit her lip, and then pointed at New Zealand, nodding her head.

"She's not lying." Sara said. "That's where it is!"

"Then that's where we're off to!" Pleakley announced. "Time to begin the road trip to save the world!"

"AAAAAA!!!"

Everyone turned their head to see Ahinahina coming towards them, holding Dr. Rupert under his arm. He was grinning happily.

"I was wrong! There WAS a way I could help you guys out!" He laughed. "Dr. Rupert's gonna tell everyone what he saw when he first looked at the structure!"

"NO, NO!" Dr. Rupert yelled. "I CAN'T! I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! REALLY!"

"LIE." Ahinahina snapped, whacking him over the head. "Now come on, spill the beans!"

"…oh…OHHH…"

…

…

…

…they'd all gotten on the plane, which was on "auto-pilot" at the moment. As they flew through the sky, Nick put into the plane's DVD player a recording from the DVR recording HE had made. Now the large TV screen of the plane showed off the structure that was Senkoukura. Dr. Rupert was quivering madly, holding his paws to his mouth as his tail twitched.

"We're going to die, Nous allons tous mourir!" He exclaimed, gulping.

"Doctor…please, you have to tell us what you saw." Nick insisted.

"Think about Page. Wouldn't he want you to help us?" Chops begged.

"Come on! Spill the beans." Ahinahina demanded. "I didn't run three miles after you through forest, ivy and thorny bushes to not get a revelation."

Dr. Rupert gulped. "Bon, je vais vous dire ... Dieu nous aide tous si ..." He muttered, holding up a pointer stick. He held it aloft in the air, the tip pointing at the top of Senkoukura. "To me, it didn't look like a structure of any kind, but…a really, **REALLY, **_**REALLY**_ large dragon!"

"WHAAA?!" Everyone exclaimed.

Heartwing blinked in surprise. "Eh?"

"What a wascally wabbit!" Nick laughed. "Doctor, come on! A DRAGON?"

"I actually got the connection when Big Boing folded her arms across her chest…look…" Dr. Rupert pointed at a certain point on the building and then folded his own arms across his chest. "Can't you see a dragon-like being folding it's arms like this?" He asked. "Plus those little bumps at the "shoulder" area…and how those bumps extend down the back like a ridge, but only to a certain point…they reminded me of folded wings!" He went on. "And pillars are surrounding it's body like a prison and they're all locked together HERE…"

He whacked the pointer against a big lock on the structure that was near the top. "So they don't separate and let the thing out!"

"…"

"…"

"…eh-heh-heh…ha-ha-ha-ha!" Nick laughed. "Doctor, what kind of crazy thing is THAT to-WUAAAAHHH!!" He took in a harsh breath as his eyes bulged.

"Come on, you've gotta be…be…EEEEE!" Yuuku shrieked.

Everyone took another look at the building that was not a building. A good look. A really, REAAALLY good look.

"DUCK, COVER, WAAA!!!"

"OH MY GOD!"

"HOLY SHIIIIIT!"

"AAAAAA!!!"

"NO FRIGGIN' WAAAYYY!?!"

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIIIIIE!"

"GOOD GRAVY!"

"EEEEEEVIIIIILLLL!!!"

"WHAAAAAAAAA?!?!"

"Releasing the seal is…the same thing…as releasing that huge dragon into the world?" Nick gasped, clutching onto the seat for dear life as his heart beat at a hundred miles an hour. "How the heck do we fight something like THAT?!"

"TURN THE PLANE AROUND! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Morpholomew screamed.

"We've got to be brave!" Chopsuey insisted.

"Yeah! We can still do it!" Nick spoke up.

"Look…I know you're trying to be brave…" Ahinahina mumbled. "But that thing is bigger than Mt. Fuji…and if it revived…"

"How would we beat it?" Crystallene asked, clinging to Yuuku as they both cried.

"Look, we don't know for SURE if it's a gigantic dragon!" Dr. Rupert spoke up. "There's no WAY my instincts could be right! I mean, I'm a hamster!"

"It's true…I'd trust your instincts around stuff like nibbling grass, but not on identifying big creatures." Chops admitted. "Maybe it's NOT any kind of experiment or whatnot…"

…

…

…

… "What's going on, Spooky? What's this rubbish you're feeding me?" She inquired.

"I'm afraid it's the truth. I can sense a large party of experiments coming this way from the air." Spooky told Heatwave as she folded her arms. "A single experiment and his partner are coming from the land, but they're quite far away. And a pair of experiments and their partners are coming from two points on the nearby mountain ranges…"

"…hmm…" Heatwave rubbed her chin. "Why are all of them headed this way? Unless…"

"Yes, that's what I thought too." Spooky whispered. "I don't know who they are, but SOMEBODY has been watching our movements…somebody spilled the beans on what Senkoukura was and WHERE it was."

"Perhaps a traitor is among us." Heatwave mused. "Or perhaps somebody has been hiding from us, using that special "shielding" that some of the experiments possess…"

"Either way, the people that are coming aren't small fry at all." Spooky told her, shaking his head. "So we should be careful…"

"Right. In fact…I have an idea." Heatwave whistled sharply and several people walked in.

"You rang?"

"Kingpin…Launch…you both wanted to have some "action", isn't that right?" Heatwave asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well there's a party of experiments coming by air to New Zealand. **Deal** with them." Heatwave instructed, smiling in a small, cold way.

"It's rare for you to let us go outside. Aren't you worried that if there's only two of us, we'll get beaten and your plans will be messed up?"

"You've got battle experience and considerate power. It might be interesting if we could make them join our side, but I can't think of that possibility at the moment. So these are your orders: separate as many as you can and pick them off one at a time!" Heatwave told them, pointing at them with a claw. "We can't risk them interfering with the revival or having them all gang up on one of us. It would be too dangerous."

"Just relaaaaax." The first experiment laughed. He was a rabbit-like experiment that had a big round nose, yellow fur, intense black eyes and big ears. He was shaped like a bowling pin, and was wearing a fancy-looking jacket, rings around his fingers, and smoking a cigar.

"Yeah, do you forget who you're talkin' to?" The other asked her. He was an experiment that closely resembled a naked mole rat, with four spines upon his back, a pinkish body, sharp claws and a big overbite. They both folded their arms and smirked confidently.

"Less boasting like a peacock and more proof you have what it takes! Don't make me angry, gentlemen." Heatwave frowned, a tic appearing on her forehead. "You wouldn't want THAT…"

…

…

…

…they'd found it.

It towered above them…aloof and terrifying. Nick gulped as he turned to the others in the plane. "Alright…Dr. Rupert, Ahinahina, make sure everyone's got a parachute on and let's get going!"

"We've got to all jump at the same time and not get separated, so I'll circle the plane around and around!" Pleakley told them as he waved from the controls.

"Remember everyone, we're all in this together! We'll aim for that area over there!" Nick said, pointing out the window at a bunch of old-looking buildings.

They all hopped out of the plane once their parachuts were on, and began to float down…down.

"Ahh, this is kind of relaxing, actually." Yuuku admitted as the wind lapped her hair back.

"We're gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna die!" Morpholomew moaned.

"Just relax! We're aiming for that building with the white dome!" Nick shouted. "Don't freak out!"

"…hmm." Launch muttered as he watched the people falling down on their parachutes. "Ah, Bebe?"

"Right, right. **VARARE!**"

TWHOOOSH!

Nick gasped as a swirling disc of black energy sailed through the air, barely missing him. He gasped in horror and turned around to see it strike the wing of Pleakley's plane. "Oh no!" he screamed. Quickly he got out his book and pointed down at where the blast had come from. "CHOPS, THERE!"

"Right!"

"Crafty little bugger." Kingpin muttered as he raised his fingers up. "Trey?"

"**TRAGUARDO****!**"

BUDDA-BUDDA-BUDDA-BUDDA!

Laser blasts rippled through the air, shooting towards them. Yuuku whipped out her spell book as quickly as she could.

"**CONTEGO!**"

WHOOMP!

The spell appeared like a bubble, but it only surrounded herself, Crystallene, and the nearby Spud and Morph. "AAA! It's not big enough!"

And things got worse. The attack singed some of their parachutes. Everyone began to drift apart…

…

…

…

…they were now in two groups. Nick, Chops, Spud and Morpholomew in one group, with Sara, Yuuku, Crystallene, Dude and Heartwing in another. Chops was desperately trying to get the cell phone Nick had dropped in the descent working again, but before he COULD…

"Ah-hem…"

They turned their heads to see a yellow, rabbit-like experiment that was shaped like a bowling ball pin standing on top of a rock. He cleared his throat.

"And now…Beethoven's Ninth Symphony…" He announced, sounding a lot like Michael Corleone.

"What the?!"Nick blinked in surprise.

"KINGPIN?" Chops blinked in surprise.

_**"DOO-DA-DUMM-DA-DAA-DUM-DO-DA, BA-BI-BO-BA-BOO-BA-DA! DUM-DA-DOO-DA-DUM-DA-DO-DA, DUM-DA-WOO-DA-WOO-DA-WA!"**_ Kingpin sang out, pointing into the sky.

"…er…what the hell is he singing?" Chops asked.

"The lyrics are kinda off, but the song is "Beethoven's 9th", a classic piece!" Nick told him.

"_**WAAAAA DA-DOO-DA-DUM-DADA-BOO-WA, AHM-NA-NA-NA-NA, WO-DA-WOO! BAAAA-BA-DA-DA-, DUUM-DA-WOO-DA, BAY-BA-WOOMPA-DOO-PA-DOOOOO!" **_Kingpin sang out, twirling around and belting out the lyrics.

"…he's SLAUGHTERING it!" Nick shouted. "Chopsuey, it's time to strike a blow for classical music lovers everywhere! **IADEO-IEDO!**"

THA-WHOOOMP!

Kingpin hit the ground, groaning as he tried to stand up. "What was THAT for?!"

"Don't you mock my people's music!" Nick screamed.

"YOU ASSHOLE! YOU IDIOT! I'M GONNA MAKE YOU SLEEP WITH THE FISHES!" Kingpin snarled, waving his fist in the air.

"SHUT UP! You're the one who knocked Pleakley's plane out of the sky! You ain't got no right to talk to me like you're better than me!" Nick screamed, waving his fist at Kingpin.

"Hmph. Here I thought it was somebody SPECIAL coming this way!" Kingpin muttered. "Like maybe my old rival Ace!"

"ACE? You're his rival?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. So you met him?" Kingpin asked, titling his head to the side. "Well then I'll cut to the chase, boys. If ya don't come at me seriously…then yer gonna die. Pure and simple. Because I'm REAL strong!"

"Oh yeah?! So is Spud!" Morpholomew shouted, waving his fist in the air and jumping up and down. "He's Mega-Spud-Man! _**Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Spud Maaaan! Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Spud Maaaaan! Spud Maaaan!**_"

Spud pointed up into the air, getting atop a rock and laughing. Seeing this display of "awesometude", Kingpin frowned.

"HA! Whaddya think of THAT?" Morpholomew laughed, smirking proudly.

"You little prick! You ain't beatin' ME!" He snarled, biting off the cigar he had in his mouth. He held his pointer finger up and began to sing anew! _**"Canto, Canto, Canto Io sono! Sono cantando in faaaccia!"**_

_**"Go ahead and siiiing again, you can't beat him, the IIIIIron Man!" **_

"A SING-OFF?!" Chops exclaimed.

"Only from New York!" Nick laughed.

_**"**__**Vorrei continuare a cantare, questo è piuttosto l'aaaaria!"**_

"…how long is this going to go on?" Nick asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Want my personal opinion? I suggest we go get some popcorn…" Chops mumbled. "Cuz the way THEY'RE going at it, we'll be here all day!"

"Ah well, I'm joinin' in!" Nick laughed.

"EVERYONE'S invited!" Morpholomew laughed.

"_**Faith fell short this time, you smile fades in the summer! Place…your…hand…in…mine, I'll leave when I wanna!" **_

"Yep. I'm gonna hafta get some popcorn." Chops decided.

**Review! And now for another preview!**

**Kingpin: You're all gonna be wearing cement shoes soon enough!**

**Spud: Morph, what do you think you're doing?**

**Morph: If I don't do something, somebody's gonna get sent back to the lab, just like what happened to Page!**

**Spud: But what CAN we do?**

**Nick: We'll find out on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	47. A True Resolve Shines Forth!

**CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN**

**偉大な戦い！真の解決に規定輝いて！**

**A Mighty Battle! A True Resolve Shines Forth!**

**----------------------------------------------**

Chops calmly tapped his foot as Morpholomew, Kingpin and Nick all sat together, taking sips of different kinds of drinks.

"And so then…then…" Kingpin raised a hip flask up to his mouth and poured down a long gulp of cognac. "Then in chapter twenty six…the other pilots…finally trust the Chinese pilot and let him…let him join their group."

"And they're Korean?" Nick asked, finishing up his "A&W Root Beer"

"All Korean." Kingpin said, nodding his head, ears flapping.

"Wowwww…" Morpholomew said, putting down the Orange Julius he'd brought. "That's an amazing story, man…"

"…er, are you finished now?" Chops asked.

"Yes, because I'm bored as hell." Launch muttered.

"Right, right, sorry." Nick mumbled. "Well, let's get back to fighting then…"

Nick, Morph and Kingpin resumed their normal positions, dusted themselves off, then held their books up and the fight got underway.

"**Valido Sparare!**" Trey yelled as his body glowed brightly. His nose shot forth a stream of sizzling energy and it raced towards Chops, Morpholomew, Spud and Nick. Luckily Nick was fast.

"**ADVERSOR!**" He shouted, as Chops lifted up the mighty shield. Then he pointed at the shield, getting an idea. "**PERCUTIO!**"

Chops kicked the metallic trigger ball straight at the shield and it sank in…a moment later Kingpin's laser blast hit the shield as well and for a moment it seemed as though the shield would break, but THEN…

BA-WHOOOMBA! It sent the attack flying right back!

"So you knows some tricks, do youse?" Kingpin laughed.

"So do I!" Launch sneered as Bebe raised her orange book.

"**ONTKETENEN!**"She yelled out.

Launch raised his paws and focused, and a large, swirling portal appeared in front of he and his partner and the duo of Trey and Kingpin. It was black and shaped like a nebula, and was slowly going around and around…

A few moments later the attack that had been launched back at them went STRAIGHT inside, vanishing, and Trey smiled as Launch jumped into the air, then BOUNDED off his nose and went up…UP!

"Good lord, it's made of RUBBER?!" Nick asked.

"Now, quick, a spell, Trey!" Kingpin yelled.

"Not so fast!" Spud laughed. "Check THIS on for size!** GUARDIA DEL CORPO!**"

PA-WHOOMF! Morph transformed into the huge version of himself and frowned down at Kingpin. "You're a big meany!"

"WOAH! He got HUGE!" Kingpin gasped.

"Don't get fooled just yet!" Bebe laughed.** "LANCEREN!"**

Launch spun his arms around and around, then thrust them forward as a swirling nebula was sent flying right towards the towering Morpholomew…and it shredded the illusion apart. Morph gasped as Kingpin smirked down at him.

"Tricky little thing, aint'cha?" He laughed.

**"MAFIOSO!"** Trey read out.

Kingpin's ears flattened down, then SHOT out, aimed right at Morpholomew and glowing brightly! Morpholomew gasped in horror…

THWOOSH!

Spud dived and grabbed ahold of Morph, ducking and rolling, though he'd obviously been grazed badly. He let go of Morph and groaned as he rubbed his head.

"Are you okay?" Morph asked.

"Of…COURSE!" Spud gasped out as he stood up. "I'm Mega Spud Man, Hero of Brooklyn!"

_**"Spud Man always saves the day, Spud Man always gets his way, Spud Man always gets the girl, Spud Man always saves the world!"**_ Morpholomew sang out, bounding around his "hero".

Kingpin had landed back on the ground and GAPED at the sight of Spud still standing…and the sight of that little red blob singing. A tic mark appeared on his head.

"Oh no, not again!" Launch and Bebe groaned.

**_"Sei uno stronzo, sei uno stronzo, io vado per avviare il tuo asino!__"_**

"_**HEEEEERE WERE ARE! BOOOORN TO BE KIIIINGS, WE'RE THE PRINCES OF THE UUUUNIVERRRSE!"**_

"_**Quando sono attraverso battitura con voi, quindi vi verrà mangiare vetro!**__**"**_

"**PERCUTIO!" **Nick howled.

THA-WHOOMP!

"AAA! What the hell did you just DO to me?!" Kingpin snarled.

"On behalf of my Mom who comes from the mother country...STOP BUTCHERING THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE!" Nick screamed back at him.

"_Oh boy…" _Chops thought. He looked over at Spud and saw his eyes were glazing over…that poor boy taken a harsher blow then he wanted to admit…

"Come on, Morph, let's rock his world!" Spud cheered, punching the air. "**Variazone!**"

POOF! Smoke filled the air as Morpholomew turned into a tiny version of himself, running with a match he took from Spud's pants towards Kingpin, Trey, Bebe and Launch.

"Yes, Spud's invincible as ever, but…what's this terrible feeling in my chest?" Morph thought as he took off across the ground. "It's…it's nothing! I'll just beat these guys quickly!"

He leapt up through the air at Trey…

"HA! Thought you'd go directly for my book keeper after you shrunk?" Kingpin laughed, suddenly rushing in front of Morpholomew.

"We gotta help him! **IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick yelled as he launched an attack straight at Kingpin…

"Idiot!" Launch shouted.

"**ONTKETENEN!**"The shielding nebula spell appeared, and Kingpin aimed his nose at Spud.

"HA! Your book keeper's wide open, tiny!" He sneered.

"**RIVOLTELLA**!" Trey read out.

A gun popped out from Kingpin's nose, with a small cord dangling down from his nostril…a REALLY long nose hair. Comical, almost…

What WASN'T comical was when he tugged on it and Spud, who dove to the side, using his body to shield the book, had hot energy rained down on his sides from the attack, blood splurting through his shirt and striking him hard.

"SPUUUUUD!" Morpholomew screamed, running towards his partner.

"Damn it! We can't let them get hurt Spud like that again!" Nick shouted. "IMPERIUM!"

Chops rushed forward, his body enhanced. He turned his head. "MORPH! Get Spud out of here, NOW!" He ordered.

Morpholomew ran to Spud's side, almost crying, but Spud…

Spud just smiled, lifting himself up, even though his shirt was in tatters and his cap was a mess. He gasped a few times, then smiled. "I'm…fine…" He said. "Come on…let's beat the socks offa them…"

"…Spud…" Morph whispered.

"I can feel it again…" He thought. "It's like…something important is about to disappear…I felt it before when…when…!"

"HA-HA-HA-HA!"

BAM!

Chops hit the ground, groaning along with Nick and they tried to stand up as Launch and Kingpin advanced. Kingpin twirled his cigar and smirked. "What's wrong, you gnats? We ain't even used 80% of our power!"

"We're gonna…protect everyone…" Spud whispered as he opened the book. "**VARIAZONE**!"

POOF!

When the smoke cleared…the good guys appeared to be gone. Kingpin frowned. "What the?!"

Morph had turned into a wall and was now hiding everyone. Sweat poured down his face, though…he remembered when he'd felt that horrible, clinging burn in his chest before…

"It's just like back when poor Page was sent away…" He thought. "Normally Spud's invincible, but this time the feeling in my heart is telling me that somebody's gonna…gonna go away…or WORSE…"

"You're taking me lightly, huh? Don't piss me off!" Kingpin snarled. "I'm gonna make you kiss the ring! LAUNCH!?"

"Right!"

Launch held a paw in the air…

"DECOLLARE!"

THWOO-WHOOOOOM! A swirling nebula of blue and grey was formed above in the air, and then it came down with the force of a battle axe, slamming bricks and rocks and ground up into the air with the power of gravity…and forcing poor Morph to drop the disguise.

"AH-HA!" Launch said, pointing.

"There ya are…" Kingpin sneered.

"What are we gonna DO?!" Morph thought, quivering madly. "They've seen through all our spells and…and…WE'RE GONNA DIE!!!"

"**PERCUTIO**!" Nick yelled suddenly.

TWHOOMP! Launch felt the metal orb enter his body. Then Nick smirked and clenched his fist as the book glowed again. **"IADEO-IEDO!"**

Launch lifted up a hunk of ground in front of him, smirking. "That's not gonna work!" He laughed…

But he didn't see Kingpin step back quickly…and the attack of the fist blast hit the stone, shattered it and went right through, colliding with the naked mole rat-like experiment, making him scream in pain as an explosion of dust resulted.

For a moment there was no movement save for the little red blob dragging the limp Brooklyn kid away into the nearby jungle…but then…

"Hmm…ya made me drop my cigar." Kingpin said as he stepped forward by his extremely-bruised partner. He held up another cigar from his jacket pocket and frowned. "You've got me on my last one. Hmm…"

He shrugged as he pulled out a lighter and lit the cigar up, taking a deep breath from it. "Fine wit' me. I'll finish youse guys before I finish smokin' this thing…"

…

…

…

…Morph had deposited Spud in the middle of the jungle as trees sheltered his partner from the sun. He took a few deep breaths, then checked to make sure Spud wasn't positioned uncomfortably before leaned Spud against a tree and then headed back towards the fight.

"You'd better stay here, Spud!" He said, walking off.

"Morph, wait!" Spud called out, gasping.

The little red blob stopped walking and stiffened.

"Even if you go…you'll just be getting in the way…" Spud said quietly, reaching out with a hand. "Come on, dude…let them take care-"

"I'm…I'm going to defeat them…"

Spud gasped, eyes widening as he saw Morph whip around…his partner was crying, but his eyes had never held such firm resolve before!

"IF WE DON'T FIGHT NOW, YOU'RE GONNA DIE!" He screamed. "AND CHOPS! AND NICK! THEY'LL ALL GO! IT'LL BE JUST LIKE THAT TIME WHEN WE FOUGHT SKETCH!"

"…" Spud said nothing, just…stared.

"I wasn't strong enough back then…" Morph sobbed, covering his eyes. "I've always been so WEAK…so stinkin' WEAK…I CAN'T TAKE IT! I don't wanna lose somebody because I'm weak! Not again! I lost Page before…but I won't ever let it happen again!" He cried. His hands became fists as he held them up. "I'M GONNA…SAVE…EVERYONE!"

With that, he took off, running back towards the battle as Spud blinked slowly.

"No! Morph…wait…don't!" He moaned, trying to stand up.

…

…

…

…Nick gasped and stood back up, panting heavily. Chops's Mohawk hung flat as he grit his teeth.

"What's WRONG?" Kingpin smirked. "Ya'll don't look too good…and I've still got half my cigar left! You really think you can last long enough against us?"

"BANZAAAAIIII!"

TWHOOP!

"What the hell!?" Kingpin snarled.

"HA!" Morpholomew had leapt from the side, hiding behind a pillar. He now held Trey's book in his hands and was smirking. "The Mighty Morpholomew is here!"

"You little SHIT!" Launch shouted, rushing down at him and slicing him across the back with his claws. Morpholomew screamed…but THREW the book into the air.

"CHOPS! NICK! BLAST IT!"

"RIGHT!" Nick shouted. Chops aimed upwards…

"Nice try!"

BOING!

Kingpin launched himself up on his nose and grabbed the book in midair as Morpholomew stood up, dusting himself off.

"Don't worry guys…" Morph told Chops and Nick, even though he was very, VERY hurt. "I'm…I'm gonna distract them as best I can so you can whack the crud outta them! We ain't losing NOBODY!"

…

…

…

… "RRRRGGGH!"

Spud was dragging himself on his arms towards the fight, using what strength was left in his legs to move him forward. "Come on, you dumb body! Morph…ERRRRR! Needs…you!"

"RAAAAHHH!" Morph screamed as he launched himself back at Launch, who punched him away. Morph just jumped back up and rushed at him and Kingpin again. "I'm not done!!!"

"Morph is acting…strangely…" Nick thought to himself. "He's fighting like somebody who's got nothing to lose…but if he pushes himself much further then-"

THA-WHADDA!

A shriek from Morpholomew told Nick the worst news he could have thought about. He hit the ground, clutching one knee. "SQQAUUAAAAAIIIIEEEE! My KNEE! I…I can't move…"

"Heh…looks like you're through." Kingpin smirked, taking out a knife from his jacket. "I'm gonna cut you up niiiice and sloooow…"

"This can't be happening…I gotta help my little red blob buddy…" Spud thought as he reached the far end of the area where the others were, about 50 yards away from Morph. "Quick, a spell! I've gotta try and…and…"

He gasped. A new spell was there, glowing brightly! He HAD to use it!

"Please…PLEASE God, let this work!" He screamed. "_**BANDA DI FRATELLI!**_"

PA-WHOOOOOOM!

A HUGE cloud of red smoke burst out, covering everyone's vision, and then, a moment later, it dispelled, revealing…

"…WOAH…"

7 Morpholomews stood there, all in various poses, looking intently at Kingpin and Launch.

"Lookit all the BLOBS!" Chops gasped.

"…hmm…clever…" Kingpin admitted.

"YES! YES!" Morpholomew cheered. "This is the kind of spell we need! GO, everyone!"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Morpholomew's clones screamed, running away in different directions, hands held over their eyes. Spud sweatdropped. Nick slapped his face. Chops groaned.

"Yep…they're your clones, alright." Nick moaned.

"…that was anticlimactic." Kingpin muttered. "And to top it off…your stupid spell caster came back to the fight like the idiot he was!" He sneered.

**"MAFIOSO!" **Trey read from the book.

Kingpin's ears shot out, aimed directly at Spud! Morpholomew gasped, holding up a hand. "NOOOOO!!!" He screamed. "DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM!"

THWOOOM!

Kingpin gasped in shock. One of the clones had stopped the attack in it's tracks and had knocked it away with a single punch! He wasn't just a clone…he was STRONG!

And it took strong emotions to make them do their job, apparently, Morph realized. He took a deep breath and yelled out an order filled with righteous desire. "ALRIGHT, EVERYONE! DEFEAT THOSE JERKS!"

Clone by clone stood together, taking up battle positions. One of them pointed forward. "Alright! I'll go get the naked one, you go get one with the big nose!"

Kingpin's eye twitched.

"No, I'M gonna get that one!"

"I REALLY need to use the bathroom!" Another said.

"You, you go after the book!"

"Bu I wanted to beat up the one with the-"

"HEEEEYYY!!!" Morph screamed angrily. "**I'LL KICK YOUR FAT RED ASSES IF YOU DON'T MOVE IIIIT!!!**"

"SIR, YES SIR!" They all screamed, rushing forward with battle cries.

"YIKES, Morph can be SCARY!" Nick realized.

"I guess he's up a notch in my book." Chops said, smiling.

"Oh please, like I'm so scared of a bunch of blobs!" Kingpin laughed as he jumped forward….

And instantly regretted it.

POW! Right in the kisser!

POW! Right in the kisser!

POW! RIGHT IN THE KISSER!

"AAA!" Kingpin yelled as he was pinned down, his ears pulled back over and over as one of them squeaked his nose. "TREEEEY! Cast a spell already!" He screamed as one of them kicked his butt over and over.

"I don't have much heart power left, I need to save it!" Trey yelled back.

THWOCKA-WOCKA-WOCKA!

Kingpin was bitch-slapped back and forth and sent flying. He groaned as he stood back up, almost biting through his cigar in anger. "Alright you little brats…if I bump off da REAL one, you'll all vanish…and he's THAT one, over there, lying on the ground all covered in dirt!"

"**Valido Sparare!**" Trey yelled as Kingpin launched his powerful attack once again, the blast from his nose shooting through the air and dissolving the lying-down Morpholomew…

But then he heard a laugh.

"Dummy!"

He turned his head and saw…the clones were ALL beaten up?

"With a little dirt it's EASY to fool you!" One of them laughed, bounding back and forth.

"Forgot about ME, didja?!" Launch laughed as Bebe raised her book up.

"**NAIKATEI!**" She read out.

Launch's body shot up and his fangs grew to ENORMOUS proportions as he prepared to bring them down RIGHT on top of them all! Nick gasped in fear as they gleamed in the sunlight, but all of the Morpholomew clones ran forward, fists held high.

"DON'T…LET…ANYBODY DISSAPEAR!" Morpholomew screamed. "I'M GONNA PROTECT YOU ALL!" He yelled.

The clones all grabbed ahold of the teeth, and to everyone…save for Morph's…surprise…

BA-WHOOSH! They leapt into the air and then brought Launch down HARD into the ground, breaking the ground beneath him and creating a crater. A fire was blazing in Morpholomew and his clones's eyes as they stared down Launch, Kingpin, Trey and Bebe.

"All right…that's…IT…" Kingpin snarled.

"I've got heart power for one more spell…our STRONGEST spell!" Bebe shouted.

"Me too!" Trey yelled.

"Then it's time WE did the same!" Nick said.

"This fight will be decided by whoever uses their final spell the best…" Chops realized. He clenched his fist. "LET'S ROCK!"

"**GRANDE ****LANÇONS**!" Bebe read out as Launch's body surged with power. He jumped into the air and thrust his hands forward, sending a large, metallic version of himself rushing forward from a nebula portal he'd opened. It shrieked like a banshee and rushed forward, teeth held up…

"HA!" Kingpin laughed as he bounded through the air on his nose, high up into the air. "How do you plan on hitting us BOTH at the same time with your "final spell"?"

"DORK!"

THWOOMP!

"WHAT THE?!"

Kingpin turned around to see a clone was grabbing ahold of his back, smirking. "I ran behind a rock and hid until this time." He told Kingpin. "Now REAP…THE WHIRLWIND!"

He threw Kingpin down in front of the "Grande Lançons" spell, grinning as Nick held his book up…

"**KIMAIRA!**"

With a mighty roar the chimera beast of green brilliance rushed forward, it's jaws opening wide…wider…WIDER…

"Aw, HELL no…" Kingpin gulped, realizing that both he AND Launch had been hit with Percutio and that this was gonna be SUPER painful.

The Kimaira engulfed him, then opened it's jaws again and struck at the metallic beast Launch had launched before it turned to him and came down HARD…

BAAAAAOOOOOOOODDOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!

…

…

…

…Bebe was unconscious. Her book was burnt. Smoke was everywhere and Nick groaned as Morpholomew smiled. "Told you…I'm gonna protect everyone." He told Chops again.

"I'm…PROUD…to call you cousin." Chops said, rubbing Morph's head.

"How'dya like THEM apples?!" Nick laughed…

Then he stopped when he saw Launch step out from the smoke. He gasped. The dude had taken a boosted Kimaira and wasn't DEAD yet?

"…my…cigar…" Kingpin mumbled, looking down at where his cigar had been in his hands. He thought back to his earlier vow…how he would finish them before he finished his cigar.

…he couldn't beat them…and Trey had no heart power left…

Then he took a deep breath. "Trey…let's go get some canolli."

"…sure." Trey said, walking over and lifting Kingpin onto his shoulder. Nick rolled his eyes.

"If we kept fighting, you'd TOTALLY lose, but be grateful I'm hungry for canolli!" Kingpin snapped as he and his partner walked off.

"…_riiiiight_." Nick groaned. "Anyhow…" He turned his head towards Morph, smiling as he got up. "You did AMAZING!" He told Morpholomew, who turned even REDDER than normal as he blushed. "Spud, are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine!" Spud said as he lay on his back. "In fact, I see a BEAUTIFUL river with a funny-looking boatman inside of a boat before me…his eyes look really COOL…it's like they're on fire!"

"AAA!" Nick gasped, grabbing ahold of Spud as Morpholomew whacked his owner in the face over and over. "That's Charon of the River Styx! Don't get into his boat! Not even if he says he'll let you take it for a spin! He's a freaky-deeky Brouge-accented PSYCHO, and he'll try to take you to Minos, who'll try to tentacle rape you!"

"How do you know THAT?" Chops asked.

"I…don't…know!" Nick realized. "I just do."

"We gotta find Crystallene…" Morph mumbled.

Then they turned their heads and saw Shush emerge from behind a rock. "SHUSH?" Nick gasped. "But if YOU'RE here, then where are the others?"

…

…

…

… "**SETTOU!**"

The greenish, female experiment with orange-tipped antennae sent a large, studded diamond that glistened pink in the light right at Heartwing, Dude, Crystallene and Yuuku. Her partner, a man with long red hair wearing a heavy jacket and gloves clutched the book tightly as Yuuku raised her own.

"**CONTEGO!**"

Crystallene erected the dome-like shield, but the diamond attack struck it hard, and it shattered, opening up a big chunk in the front…luckily Dude held up his OWN book.

"**INSONS DRACO!**"

Heartwing bounded through the air, rushing straight at the man, intending to take the book away.

"**SUCHI-RU!**" The woman shouted.

The female experiment held up her hand and a string of glowing pearls appeared. She flung the string of pearls left and right, left and right, and they shot off, whizzing through the air like bullets, but…

Heartwing was quicker, diving and dipping, the attacks missing him.

"I can't him him! You little PRICK!" She snarled. "I oughta take your wings off!"

BA-WHOOM!

Heartwing punched her across the face, angry that she'd threaten to be so cruel. But he regretted it a moment later when he heard the book keeper call out the female experiment's name…

"BONNIE, **NO!**"

**BONNIE?!**

Heartwing stood there, gasping. THIS was Bonnie? The one Clyde was looking for?

He leapt back, trying to wave his arms.

"What is it?" Dude asked.

"Grrrr…let's use THAT spell!" Bonnie suggested, wiping some blood from her mouth as she held her hands forward.

"Alright! Here…we…GO!"

FWA-WOOOOOM! A HUGE column of light shot up from the cerulean blue book that she had and they gasped.

"I don't think I can shield us from a spell that powerful!" Crystallene gasped.

"Then we've gotta toast their book before they can make a move!" Dude shouted. "**TOTUS-INSONS-DRACO!**"

Heartwing's holy aura surged forward and Bonnie gasped at the approaching white blaze of light. "AAA! Quick, Wyn, is the spell ready?"

"…NO…NOT…NOT YET!" Wyn gasped out.

"KWOOAAAAAHHH!"

THWOOOM!

A HUGE stone was slammed down in front of Bonnie and her partner, blocking Heartwing's aura attack. He stopped, gasping at the sight, and they all gazed in a mixture of horror, shock, and confusion…

Trainer grabbed ahold of Bonnie and her partner, tossed the others a frighteningly cold look, then ran off.

"…Trainer…saved them?" Crystallene gasped.

"What the HEY?!" Dude said, blinking.

…

…

…

… "Are you telling me that Launch was sent back by the intruders?!" Heatwave growled, clutching onto her staff so hard that Spooky worried she just might break it.

"Yes, though Kingpin return-"

"Of COURSE he did!" Heatwave snapped. "The plan, the PLAN is unraveling thanks to his botched-up attempt to deal with the intruders! Where is he?!"

"Hey there, Hottie-Hot-Hottie!" Kingpin said, swaggering in. "You're probably PIIIISSED that I screwed up. But that was a decent fight we ha-"

THWOOMP!

Heatwave was on him in an instant, and she backhanded him across the face, grabbing him with her claws and then striking him across the face again. Once, twice, thrice, four times, five times!

"JERRY, JERRY, JERRY, JERRY!" Trey cheered happily. Spooky sniggered evilly.

At last Heatwave dropped Kingpin to the ground and he groaned, holding onto his sore and bloodied face. "You SURE you're not a lesbian or something?" Spooky inquired.

"Well, once…at the lab with Carmen…" Heatwave admitted, shrugging slightly.

"…cool." Spooky remarked as Trey and Kingpin walked off, Kingpin clutching his sore nose

"Owwww…that HURT." He mumbled once they were out of earshot.

"Why do you think those guys came here anyhow?" Trey asked. "I came because this is the sorta thing my new movie needs…ideas of action, excitement, drama…"

"Yeah, and don't forget betrayal. Those newcomers had better not be here to gain Senkoukura's power. After all…" Kingpin smirked as he lit his cigar. "That's OUR plan…"

…

…

…

…after being healed, our heroes decided to talk with each other about the battles they'd endured, and when Nick heard the news…

"Trainer saved them?" He asked, looking surprised.

"And he gave us a look like we were the enemy…" Crystallene mumbled, nervously twirling one foot around in a circle below.

"So…I guess it's true then." Nick said quietly, sitting down on a natural bench made of stone as the wind gently blew. "We haven't really found out if that curse that Ahinahina talked about is true or not, but since we defeated one of those guys, that probably means they don't have enough power to open the seal…and it means that Kim will die in two days…"

"We can't be certain that Launch was a part of the cult, or that Kingpin was either, but there's a good chance-"

"Chance? Certain?" A voice spoke up, deep and commanding. "Stop acting naïve. You might not know everything there is to know about Senkoukura, but you know in your heart a certain feeling you're afraid to share…a thought that you don't wish to admit. Just admit it and get it over with."

They turned their heads, staring at the owner of this voice.

"Who are you?" Nick asked. "You're an alien, I can tell…though you kind of remind me of a Samoan…"

The alien was, quite simply, a "land shark" of sorts. He was wearing a black outfit with red trimmings, and had a tall and muscular form, with blubber, light blue eyes, and a laser blaster and tool belt around his waist. He was some kind of fish or whale-like being. His partner was a yellow experiment with black eyes, a reddish nose, a tubby body, and a head that was less rounded than Stitch's but not cone-headed either…it reminded Nick of a gourd, really. He had two buck teeth hanging down from the top of his mouth, different than 621's fangs that were on the bottom, and three thick, rounded locks of hair at the top with brown markings on his back.

"I apologize, I should introduce myself. I am Gantu." Gantu said, nodding his head.

"And I'm 625…but you can call me Rueben." Rueben said, smiling as he gave them a thumbs up. "Heya, Chops!"

"Is that a BROOKLYN accent I hear?" Spud asked.

"Yep!" Rueben laughed.

"AWESOME!" Spud said. "That is so COOOOOL!" He had sparkles in his eyes. "What can you do? Shoot lasers? Grow 10,000 times your size?"

Chops smiled, putting his hands on his hips. "Well, well, the famous sandwich-maker himself! Nick, I want you to meet Rueben…he has incredible power like Stitch and all of the other 600 series members do, but is kind of a lazy coward. BUT…he's the best sandwich-maker in all the galaxy."

"Ham or tuna?" Rueben asked, holding up two sandwiches.

"This isn't the time for that though." Gantu spoke up again. "I'm not your enemy, humans. I wish to ally with you and see if you have the resolve needed. But there are some things you should know…yes, Launch was needed to resurrect Senkoukura, and now that he's gone, the curse placed on Kim ensures she'll die in two days."

"So the curse WAS on Kim…" Nick murmured. "I had hoped it hadn't come to that…"

"However another way to revive Senkoukura exists and YOUSE guys got the key." Rueben said in his Brooklyn accent. "And that would be WHAT?"

"Kimaira. Boosted with Percutio." Chops guessed.

"Ding-ding-ding! Give the boy a prize!" Rueben laughed. "Here, have a ham and cheese." He said, holding a sandwich up.

"_Not the time!_" Gantu repeated. "You see, that's the problem. If you DO revive Senkoukura, the world is headed for destruction. If you do not…then your friend Kim…will die. So you must decide, Nick…Kim's death…or the death of every person in this world." He said quietly.

"But I CAN'T let Kim die!" Nick yelled.

"Then everyone else will die. Senkoukura, the Lord of Flame and Light, is a mighty dragon indeed." Gantu told him.

"Then what the doctor saw was TRUE…" Spud gasped. "How are we gonna beat something that BIG?!"

"It seems impossible that it could be real, but it's the truth." Reuben said quietly, sadly.

"If we save Kim, then…then everyone in Kauai will die…Lilo and Stitch…" Chops whispered. "Victoria, Myrtle, Elena, Teresa, Yuki…"

"But…but Kim…" Nick said quietly, looking at the ground. "Chops, what are-"

**"Don't let your partner decide for you!"** Gantu shouted.

"Youse gotta figure out the answer on your own." Rueben agreed, nodding as he folded his arms. "Sorry, honestly, but that's the way it is."

"You can't run from this choice." Gantu said, pointing at Nick.

"So what's it gonna be?" Rueben asked.

**Well, if you don't review, a cat girl will die! Think of the cat girls. And enjoy this preview!**

**Nick: Whaddya MEAN we gotta go inside his mouth? Gross...**

**Chopsuey: Who's THIS guy?**

**???: Think of me as the "Sphinx" to your "Oedipus".**

**Reueben: But Oedipus won in the end.**

**???: YOU might not be so lucky on the next "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"!**


	48. Save the Cheerleader, Save the World!

**CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT**

**は、チアリーダーを救え…世界を救え****,****パート****1!**

**Save the Cheerleader…Save the World, Part 1!**

**----------------------------------------------------**

Mr. White let go of Nightwing's head and looked down at the dark dragon as his eyes glazed over white…a spiritual vision filling his eyes.

…

…

…

…Nightwing blinked slowly as he looked around.

The place was so…so beautiful in it's emptiness. The island of Niihau had been transformed. Crystalline buildings, beautiful wind chimes hanging in the air, sending notes serenading into the blue sky. The streets were perfectly paved and swept clean by the wind, and there wasn't anybody on the streets that he could see as he looked down from the top of the building he was in.

But he could hear.

He lowered himself down towards a window of the immense palace of glass he was on and saw it.

"What are we going to do?"

Haley was there, older…holding Nightwing's hand. A wedding ring on both their fingers…and he saw their son. It HAD to be their son.

Their son was pacing back and forth alongside another dragon, this one had white fur, and was standing across from a green dragon…his "brother", 421.

"What are we to do?" The white one asked.

"It sweeps the world." The black one said. "The cruelty of Leroy is everywhere. How are we to stop it?"

"He's enslaved so many. America will fall any day now, Japan is going and Europe will fall soon."

"Perhaps it's time we used Senkoukura's power."

Haley gasped as Heartwing suggested that. "But…but that will…"

"I KNOW." Heartwing said. "But in the end, it will be for the good of all. I don't want this world to die. We have to do this…we have to save the world, for all of those who are dying even now…"

PRESENT

Kim lay on her back in a large room that had pink walls. She had a blue blanket covering her and was resting as best she could, but sweat continued to pour down her body in buckets. There was a nasty-looking mark on her head…a curse symbol. Not just any curse symbol but Heatwave's symbol, a burning fireball. Fitting, considering Kim felt like she was burning up. A fishbowl was located next to her, with a goldfish inside, swimming around stupidly while Trainer sat on a chair right by Kim's side, her green eyes filled with concern.

"Kim, are you alright?" She asked gently.

"I…I feel like…it's a million degrees in here…" Kim said. The blanket was a light one, but she felt so HOT. "Wh-what happened? I heard…shouts…orders…"

"Heatwave asked me to go check outside. There were intruders." Trainer told her, nervously rubbing the back of her head.

"Who…who was it?" Kim asked.

Trainer was VERY glad Kim was too tired to look into her eyes because if she had, she would seen through the lie. "Some experiments I'd never seen before."

"I'm just glad YOU'RE okay, Trainer…but please, you can't…listen to what Heatwave says…she's crazy…" Kim insisted.

Trainer held Kim's hand as Kim shivered madly with pain. "Shush, it's alright." Trainer whispered. "I am going to protect you no matter WHAT."

…

…

…

…so that was it…

If they didn't release the seal on Senkoukura, then he wouldn't be freed. The world would be saved.

But then…that would mean that Kim would die.

It was a terrible choice. Sacrifice an innocent person to save the world…or sacrifice the world to save a single person.

"…I…I…" Nick stood there, gaping, then covered his eyes, shivering. "I…I…"

He was obviously filled with pain over the choice he had to make. Crystallene rounded on Rueben and jabbed a finger into his stomach. "Hey, TUBBY! You can't go forcing him to make a choice like this! He's too-"

"HEY!"

She turned her head and saw Chops was glaring intensely at her with a deep, dark stare. It was BLASTING the message "Don't Get Involved". And Gantu nodded at the "trog".

"So he understands. I had a feeling HE might before the other one would…" He thought to himself. "It's a test…something that the human worm baby can't avoid."

_…_

_"Sorry for taking your book, but you were the first book owner I could find! The name's Kim Possible…" She held the book up, eyes pleading. "I have a request for you and your experimental partner!"_

_…_

_"Leave it to us!" Trainer shouted._

_"Power UP!" Kim yelled, punching the sky._

_"**Fighting love can never die**!" The two of them yelled._

_…_

_"We are never, EVER alone, cuz we're protected by the trust and friendship we've gained from others!" Kim shouted. "And from that, we gain power that's far greater than the kind YOU use!"_

_…_

_"Nick…Chopsuey…thank you for helping us." Kim said happily._

_"How can I repay you for your aid?" Trainer asked, holding one fist against an open palm and bowing slightly._

_"Save your thanks for Kim. It was her courage that led us to come here. I can't resist such a spirited request!" Nick insisted._

_…_

…Nick felt tears spring to his eyes.

"Nooo…NOOOO…I can't let you die, Kim…your smile…your strength…they always were there for us…and you and Trainer helped us so much…what kind of person would I be if I just let you die? But…if I help you…then everyone else…my brother…my mom and dad…Lilo and everyone on Kauai…everyone in the world…"

"NO…NO…_**NUUUUAAAAAAAUUUUUHHHHHHH!**_" Nick sobbed, getting on his knees and almost burying his covered face in the ground in sorrow as the tears plopped down. It was a truly pitiful sight.

"There's no WAY a kid like Nick could decide that…I couldn't…my partner couldn't…" Crystallene muttered.

"How could ANYBODY chose between somebody they care for and the world itself?" Spud whispered.

"Give me an ANSWER, human!" Gantu roared. "How long are you going to cry?"

"You've gotta tell us, kid!" Rueben insisted.

"**SHUT YOUR STINKING FACES!**" Nick screamed, standing up and clenching his fist, that harsh snap biting through the air. "Choosing between people dying…THAT'S more of an impossibility for me than a freaking huge dragon! I'm not letting ANYBODY die! I am going to save EVERYONE!"

Chops blinked.

"IT'S THE _CHOICE_ YOU'RE GIVING ME THAT'S TRULY WRONG! I'm not choosing between Kim OR the people of the world because I am going to save them all!"

"Don't be NAÏVE!" Gantu snarled. "There's only two choices!"

"No…there's still time for choice because…there's STILL two days left!" Nick said, clenching his fist, his eyes filled with a starry brilliance as Chops smirked. Yes…this was it…

"There's two days to go and I can use that time to find a way to save everyone! I'll need everyone's help…including you!" Nick insisted.

"Me?" Gantu asked, looking smug. "You're asking an almost complete stranger for help. What do you know about me?"

"You know a LOT about Senkoukura and the curse, about the bad guys who are here…you can help!" Nick insisted. "I'm gonna find a way to lift the curse, and then I will return Senkoukura back to his home world!" Nick yelled.

"You actually think there's a way?!" Gantu growled, clenching his own fist.

"There HAS to be! He ain't from Earth and he didn't just FLY here and plop down…if he came from a different world then he can be sent BACK to a different world! But I'm gonna need everyone…EVERYONE…to help me do this!" Nick shouted. "If we're gonna save the world, we're gonna need everybody pulling together as one!"

"Of COURSE we'll help!" Yuuku insisted.

"No way we'd not chip in, buddy!" Spud laughed.

"Me and my little buddy gotcha back." Dude said, nodding his head.

"Yeah, we're gonna save the cheerleader and save the world!" Chops roared, punching the air. "And Nick…" He turned to his partner, smiling gently. "I'm proud of you for figuring out that answer. It was very mature of you."

"…_mahalo_…" He said quietly, smiling back.

"You're alright, kid." Rueben said, grinning broadly. "Ya really are! And I'm glad you found the answer too Chops. What kinda champion would abandon ANY of his friends?"

"I think you've BOTH got the makings of a champion." Gantu said, smiling warmly.

"Ya got real potential!" Rueben said. "We've been lookin' for good-hearted guys like you. Truth is Senkoukura's not a normal dragon…he was created with special arts. Think of him as like a kind of living machine…"

"And the secrets he contains…including any secret way to send him back…are doubtlessly within his own body." Gantu agreed.

"Oh boy. We gotta go INSIDE a freaky demon thing?" Spud gulped.

"Yes. We'll go in through his mouth. Somewhere in his body is a control room. I'm guessing the brain." Gantu told them. "The search will be dangerous, but if we hurry, we might find that way to save everyone. We've only got two days…so let's get going!"

…

…

…

…taking an old set of stairs that had been erected around the dragon, they found themselves going inside of a huge opening, which was undoubtedly the dragon's mouth area. It had a tongue, fangs, a uvula…

"Boy, this feels soft." Crystallene said, putting her hand down on the tongue. "Comfy, like a pillow!...AAA!" She gasped. "It's…kinda WARM!"

"He's alive…he's aliiiiive!" Spud said, imitating Dr. Frankenstein and waving his hands in the air, making a funny face.

"Yes, apparently his heart's beginning to beat." Gantu told them, taking a deep breath before going on. "Various traps have been activated as a result."

"T-Traps?" Sara asked, looking nervous. Shush gulped heavily.

"Yes, natural defenses of the body…which is why we need to stick together. CLOSELY together." Rueben insisted.

"Oh, look!" Nick said, pointing upward.

There was a large sign that showed a diagram of Senkoukura's body, all the inner rooms and workings were laid bare along with strange language…

"It's a dialect of galactic, but…I was never really that fluent with the "Turonian" style." Chopsuey admitted. "I preferred Tantalog. If only the doctor was here…" Chops mumbled.

"Don't worry, I called his cell phone." Yuuku said, holding her cell phone up. "Ahinahina took him and Pleakley and jumped to safety. They're waiting for us."

"We'd better hurry then!" Nick said, taking out a sketchpad and drawing down the diagram of Senkoukura's body. "Odd though…from the map there doesn't appear to be any way to get to the brain…"

"There HAS to be a path though somewhere. Though perhaps the control room's NOT in the brain. Maybe it's the heart." Gantu guessed. "And the device that sends Senkoukura back might be in ANOTHER room…"

"The first gate's THIS way." Rueben said, leading them back towards the mouth. "Everyone get ready…"

…

…

…

…after passing through a dark tunnel, they emerged in a room that was quite HOT…this was the way to the throat, according to the diagram that Nick had copied down. There appeared to be stomach acid FAAAAR below, but there was a room ahead. WHERE though, Nick couldn't see.

What they COULD see was somebody was sitting atop a ledge that overlooked them all, his tail hanging low, thick and long. He was a dragon that closely resembled Nightwing, only he had purple spikes and a dark blaze in his black and purple-tinted eyes. He calmly flexed his black claws and licked his lips with a slightly pointed tongue.

"Well, well, what have we here?" He inquired. His voice was oddly friendly and kind, yet there was an edge to it that made it "off"…it set off alarms bells in your head that any sort of pity he felt for you was the kind you felt for a pet you were going to put down. "Are you enemies who wish to destroy Senkoukura or are you friendly?"

"YIKES! He's HUGE!" Sara gasped as she and Shush clutched each other for dear life. Our protagonists all looked at each other, then at the dragon guardian. "Uh, we're here because we want to make sure that Senkoukura doesn't do anything anybody would regret, like, say, destroying an entire world." Nick answered honestly.

"Oh, I seeeee." The dragon hissed. "One of those kinds of people. Listen up good, mortals…Senkoukura's designed for more than the purpose of destruction." He said, speaking calmly.

"Don't feed us bull!" Chops growled.

"I'm quite serious." The dragon said quietly, looking intently at Chops.

For some reason they believed that. What WAS Senkoukura's other purpose then-no, it didn't matter now. They had to send him back, had to stop him.

"Well here's what's going to happen. I'm going to quiz you all. If you're not fools, you can go onward to the path that leads deeper into Senkoukura. And uh, don't bother trying to escape." He said, pointing at the way they'd come. He flicked a claw and the door SHUT right in front of their eyes. "Answer my questions correctly. But if just one of you screws this up, you'll all drop inside the stomach acid."

"One mistake and we're toast?!" Spud gasped.

"Yes, Alien." The dragon remarked, pointing at Spud.

"My name's SPUD." Spud said.

The dragon blinked. "…oh, okay" It said in a "well that's fine" tone. Spud then noticed that it had a strange insignia on the front of its body. It reminded the Brooklyn genius of Nightwing's body, only…

Hmm. _What if?..._

"Now the first question!" The dragon said, rubbing his hands. "What's my name?"

"Uh oh…" Nick gulped. "I had thought that being a part of Senkoukura his NAME would be the same as Senkoukura's! What could it be?"

"Oh, oh, oh!" Spud raised his hand. "Me-me-me!"

"Yes, you, the one in the alien t-shirt next to Greenie!"

"My name is NICK!" Nick shouted.

"Whatever. Mr…Spud, right? What's the answer?" The dragon asked.

"Eclipse!" Spud said proudly.

"Correct!" The dark dragon said, smiling as he clasped his hands together. "You must be a genius!"

"Aw, I just noticed you thought my name was "Alien" because of the alien on my shirt, and I figured a guy like you broadcasted your name by putting it in symbol form on your chest! When you called Nick "Greenie" because of his shirt I was SURE of my idea." Spud said, shrugging.

"Clever all the same." Eclipse laughed, nodding. "Now then, next question to the blob that's standing by you! Mrs. Bigger had a baby now you tell me which was bigger, Mrs. Bigger or her baby?"

"…her baby was a "Little Bigger"?" Morph asked.

"Correct! You're certainly gonna ride the Glory-Bound-Train!" Eclipse laughed. "Now then…you!" He pointed at the perverted little experiment that was near Sara. "You're not a weasel and you're not a satellite, so what are you?"

"Shush?" said, tilting her head to the side.

"Are you telling me to shut up?" Eclipse asked.

"No, that's her name." Sara said.

"Oh. Well in that case it's alright!" Eclipse said. "Now then, you! Nun! Peter Piper picked a pickled peppers now you tell me how many pecks of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?"

"Four." Sara answered. "Heard that somewhere!"

"Right!" Eclipse nodded. "How wise!"

_**"We're gonna ride on that Glory-Bound Train, oh Lordy, we're gonna ride on that Glory-Bound Train! **__**We're gonna ride on that Glory-Bound Train, oh Lordy, we're gonna ride on that Glory-Bound Train!**__**" **_Spud and Sara sang out, clasping hands and dancing around.

"Er…Eclipse…" Chopsuey spoke up.

"Yes, ogre?" Eclipse asked, tilting his head to the side to look at the human.

"Look, not that I'm complainin' or anything, but are these questions really alright?"

"Shut up, loser!" Eclipse snapped. "I'm a GOD! Tell you what, when you get to be a god, you can ask any questions YOU like, alright?!"

"Er, moving right along…" Gantu asked. "Can you ask another question?"

"Sure. What's your favorite food, Nick?"

"Oh, that's easy. CHEESE!" Nick proclaimed. "Or as the Spanish say, "Yo Quiero Queso"!"

"Righto! Next one: Which has more calories: A footlong meatball sub at subway or a cheeseburger at McDonalds?"

"Meatball sub?" Crystallene asked.

"Correct! You, the girl next to her…if a tree falls in the woods and hits a mime, does anybody care?"

"…no?" Yuuku wondered.

"CORRECT!" Eclipse smiled. "I've got some good question-answerers today! Now for you, blubber butt!"

Gantu frowned.

"Do whales sing in captivity?"

"NO." He snapped.

"Correct! You! Goldlilocks! Got anything to eat?"

"Yep. Ham or tuna?" Rueben asked, holding up two sandwiches.

"Toss 'em both." Eclipse asked.

"…this is…ridiculous." Chops groaned.

"Hippie, answer well…" Eclipse intoned. "What's "the secret ingredient" that can bring out the flavor in ALL foods, even the most disgusting ones?"

"Loving, Special Devotion." Dude answered.

Eclipse bowed his head, clasping his hands together. "MASTER!" He said respectfully.

"…HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!" Nick spoke up, putting the letters together. "That is **just-!!!**"

"You there! Ogre!" Eclipse said, coming to him. "What's 829,735 times 961,527?"

He then smirked evilly. _I have you now, little morsels. There's no way you can answer this. You will become Senkoukura's sustenance…_

"795,812,605,345!" Chops answered.

"…WHAAAAAAA?!?" Eclipse howled, doing a double take, eyes bugging out. "Did you just…say that again!"

"795,812,605,345!" Chops repeated. "What, don't YOU know if that's the right answer?!"

"…er…" Eclipse groaned and hung his head. "I can't BELIEVE that YOU got it, you look so IDIOTIC with those…fine, fine…you win." He admitted. "You're VERY smart."

"Now who's left-AAAA" Chops's eyes went wide. "OH NO!"

Heartwing waved his hand in the air. "Ku-ku-ku!"

**"AAAAAA!"** Everyone screamed.

"Now then…you will answer this last question, fellow dragon. Because if you do not…" Eclipse smirked coldly. "Then you will all be deposited into the stomach acid, melting like butter and sustaining Senkoukura for some time. If it's of any consolation, you won't feel a thing…" He said in that same soft, yet unnerving voice of his. "Now then…let's begin…"

"Hold it!" Chops said. "That's experiment 421, Heartwing, he can't say anything in BASIC!" He protested. "It doesn't matter WHAT you ask, there's no way he can answer!"

"I know that." Eclipse laughed. "I guessed it from his greeting. So I suppose you'll all become food."

"AAAA!!!" Sara screamed.

"For the lova GOD little dude, you gotta speak English just this once!" Dude cried.

"Now then…" Eclipse drew himself up, folding his arms and looking evilly down on Heartwing. "_**For any number greater than 2, there are no natural numbers that satisfy X to the nth power, y to the nth power equals z to the nth power! PROVE THIS STATEMENT!**_"

"HO-LY-CRAP!" Spud shouted.

"What?" Nick asked.

"FERMAT'S LAST THEOREM! That's one of the greatest math problems that's ever existed in the history of the world!" Spud gasped. "It wasn't solved until 1995 and had stumped scientists for 360 years!"

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! And it took 130 pages of work for that human to figure the answer out!" Eclipse laughed. "And since your little friend can't SPEAK the answer, you're all going to die! Oh, happy-happy-happy! Of course…" He smirked. "You could leave your little Japanese friend here…I do enjoy female company." He twirled his tail slightly. "Yes, we could have a _lovely_ time…" He said lustfully.

"You JERK!" Yuuku shouted.

"Well it's not like your dragon friend is gonna answer-WHAT THE?!?" He gasped at what Heartwing had written in the ground and everyone looked down at it.

"Y squared equals x multiplied by x minus a to the pth power times x plus b to the pth power."

"…is that right?" Nick asked Spud.

"…YES…" Spud gasped.

"…WOAH." Dude looked down at Heartwing. "Heavy, man…"

"How does my uncle know THAT?!" Eclipse asked.

"Maybe he's smarter than we give him credit for." Nick realized. "Wait…did you say "UNCLE"?"

"…you'll understand soon enough." Eclipse whispered. "In the meantime, feel free to go on through…"

He snapped his clawed fingers and a large doorway opened up before them, with a bridge leading over to it. "Good luck…because you will NEED it." He told them darkly.

…

…

…

…Spooky blinked his eyes, then smiled calmly. "Something's bothering you, Heatwave?"

Heatwave nodded, rubbing her orb in the center of her chest. "Yes…I can sense somebody's inside Senkoukura."

"Yes, I sensed them too. They're the ones who defeated Launch. And apparently from what I've learned from my skills…" Spooky smirked. "Rueben and his partner are with him."

"Hmm…when did they…" Heatwave grinned. "That power…that power the little ogre has…"

"Yes, it's the kind of power we can use to unlock the seal." Spooky agreed, nodding his head. "I'll go bring them here before they discover all of the Lord of Flame and Light's secrets. I'll capture as many as I can. Of course…I MIGHT need some help…"

"Well we've got just the wo-man. Isn't that right…Trainer?" Heatwave asked, smiling coldly at Trainer, who crossed her arms and frowned.

"I just hope the replacement power won't get caught in a trap…" Heatwave murmured, concerned.

…

…

…

… "Alright, according to the diagram, this place is the "small intestines"." Nick told them all as they walked into a large and long hallway, turning to the left. "Food that's not totally dissolved in the stomach gets broken down further in here and the nutrients are absorbed into the body…"

"AAA! What the hey is THAT?!" Crystallene shouted, pointing at a HUGE drill that was stationed right behind them. If they'd gone to the right instead of the left upon entering the hallway they would have gone right into it. It had many spikes shooting out from it and was simply enormous! And then it began to twirl around and around, making a sound like a buzzsaw!

"AAA! It's trying to break us down! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Nick yelled.

Meanwhile, Spooky and Trainer were waiting in a remote location. Spooky was folding his arms, eyes closed as he concentrated. "Hmmmmmm…ah, I sense them. They're moving fast through the small intestine. If they have a strong enough spell they can halt the drill inside of it, but I imagine their numbers will be cut by half…"

"IN THE IMMORTAL WORDS OF MONTY PYTHON…RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY, RUN AWAAAAAY!" Spud screamed as they tore down the hallway, the drill continuing to whirl away.

"IF WE DIE HERE, AND YOU DON'T, I'M COMING BACK TO HAUNT YOU!" Crystallene shouted at Nick and Chops.

"That goes DOUBLE for me!" Morph yelled.

"NOT THE TIME, NOT THE PLACE, WOULD YOU JUST PICK UP THE PACE?!?" Nick screamed.

"You realize you're rhyming?" Gantu asked.

"Not the place or timing!" Spud snickered, unable to resist a joke.

Sara frowned disapprovingly. "That's really not funn-EEEEK!"

She suddenly skipped ahead, gasping, hopping on one foot and looking down. "Did I just step in dog poo?"

"Why would you think THAT?" Gantu asked, helping her onto his shoulder along with Rueben, who was on the other shoulder.

"It felt all SQUISHY!"

Nick looked down as HE stepped in a squishy, circular area, which left a foot imprint behind. He didn't have much time to think it over though, because then he heard squelching noises coming from the top…tentacles, thick, red and gooey in form were lowering themselves down…

"Aw, dang, that's not good!" Nick gasped.

TWHOOSH! One dove down through the air and Nick ducked to the side. But Spud, unfortunately…

"AAA!"

He gasped as it grabbed his hat. He slunk out of it, diving away as it held it aloft and sizzling sounds were heard.

"Oh boy! It's meant to help digest what's not screwed up by the drill! LIKE **US**!" Nick realized.

"The drill's getting closer!" Rueben screamed.

"There's no time to MAKE an escape route and I can't see any way outta here!!!" Chops yelled.

"We're all gonna DIIIIIEEE!" Morpholomew screamed, sobbing.

…

…

…

… "Did you say that trap can only be HALTED, not destroyed?" Trainer asked again.

"Yeah, the trap can be halted if their luck happens to be good. The It must be by a spell of a high level, at least as high as "Dioga". But first you have to find the exit and THEN stop the trap in order to escape." Spooky told him. "Though who KNOWS how many people will die in there? Not that it matters." Spooky shrugged. "We only need those who can use the highest level of spells to survive."

"_There's NO way Chops or Nick would ever let the others die…I know they're ALL going to survive, but…HOW?"_ Trainer thought.

How indeed! An opportunity HAD arisen. How?

"AAA! WHERE'S MY PURSE?!" Yuuku screamed.

Shush held it up…and more importantly, held up three pairs of "Juicy" underwear.

"YOU LITTLE!!!" Yuuku snarled. But Shush didn't have time to laugh because WHOOP! She dropped them, and two were grabbed up by the tentacles, melted, and tossed into a large hole that opened.

"That's kinda sad." Nick said, imagining violin music playing. Then he noticed something…

One pair slipped in…untouched by the tentacles. That meant that even unmelted things could go into the holes, they opened up for ANYTHING! And according to the diagram…

This was a way out.

"EVERYONE, LISTEN!" Nick yelled. "Those holes you saw on the floor are our way out!"

"Yeah, but look!" Spud yelled, pointing forward. "Those squishy things open up to make holes, but they're not opening!"

"Huh. The ones around the drill are!" Crystallene remarked, pointing. Sure enough, the holes near the drill were opened up.

"So apparently anything that goes into the holes gets absorbed, but they can't be absorbed usually until they're melted and/or broken down! Nick, do you have enough heart strength to stop the drill with Kimaira?" Chops asked.

"No good, I'm too dang tired!" Nick yelled. "I haven't stored up enough power to let loose!"

"Then I'LL use my strongest spell!" Gantu yelled. "Everyone get close to the drill, there will only be one chance to do this right! And you'd better not mess it up!"

But as he got out his brown book and whipped around to face the drill, he suddenly froze up, stiffening, and everyone looked at him. What the?...

…

…

…

…there was a large container filled with a strange liquid that had living tubes pulsing in and out of it to distribute it around the body…the liquid was essentially a kind of oxygenated fluid designed to act as "sweat". There were large capsules of "sweat" around this container as well, located to the left and right. The room also had three people looking up at it…Spooky, his book owner, a man wearing glasses, kind of messy brown hair and a heavy jacket, and Trainer.

"If they survive, they'll be deposited in that." Spooky said, nodding at the container. "Gantu and Rueben for sure will arrive in there…" He grinned. "Ooh, I sense them coming…"

PLOOP! From holes in the wall they came, falling into the liquid…Gantu, Rueben, Nick and Chops.

But that was IT?

"Hmm…they must have the power to break the seal." Spooky said, looking Chops and Nick over. "621…not surprising, really…"

Then something fell out of the hole.

"What…THE?" Spooky blinked. "Is that a-"

"DON'T LOOK!" Trainer yelled, covering his eyes as a pair of panties fell down, followed immediately after by Shush, who was being beaten up by Crystallene and Yuuku, Sara, who was clinging for dear life to Heartwing, Dude, Spud and Morph!

"Hmm. ALL of them made it?" Spooky inquired.

"YES!" Trainer said in her head.

Nick broke through the container with a simple "IADEO" spell, but then when they were all on the ground before, Chops grabbed Gantu by his outfit and growled in his face. "Why the HECK didn't you use a spell!?" He shouted. "If not for Sara's time-slowing spell, we all woulda been crushed?!? What's the idea?!"

They turned around to hear the greenish blob with yellow eyes laughing. He had rounded spikes sticking out of his back and a big smirk. "Fu-fu-fu-fu…what else? Gantu's been your enemy all along!"

"Don't talk crap!" Nick yelled, clenching his fist and shaking it at Spooky. "You stinking blob!...oh, sorry Morph."

"No offense taken." Morph said, raising his hands up.

"Gantu's helping us to find a way to send Senkoukura back to wherever he came from!"

"Send the Lord of Flame and Light BACK? You actually think such a way exists? Even if it DID, how could blubber butt and his fatty-mc-fat-fat help you out?" Spooky snapped, looking smug. "Especially NOT Gantu…he's been cursed by Heatwave. Take a good look at his forehead!"

They all peered closely and saw a mark was burning it's way to become visible on his head…a fireball mark. He WAS cursed!

"The land shark is barely conscious! Look at him sweat!" Spooky laughed. "Somebody like HIM? Searching for answers to send Senkoukura back? That's just too good! He was only looking for a way to break the seal! There's those of you that have great power in your group…he only wanted to gain your trust so you'd join him in breaking the seal on Senkoukura!"

Spooky laughed coldly. "FU-FU-FUAH-HA-HA-HAHA! He was only concerned with his **own** life! He just wanted to gain your power to break the seal and save his miserable hide!"

"Say…that…AGAIN…" Nick snarled, taking a step forward.

"I COULD." Spooky admitted, shrugging. "Or I could say "Stephen, cast a spell"."

"**TERRITO!**" Stephen yelled out.

Spooky grinned cruelly as a third eye appeared in the center of his forehead, glowing bright yellow. It emitted a strange light…

"Hmmmmm…AH! You, little Yuuku…you've got a fear of SNAKES? How intriguing! And perfect. Just perfect." Spooky clapped his blobby hands together and before they could do anything hissing serpents arose from our hero's shadows, wrapping around them and holding them in place as Spooky laughed and laughed…

**Nick: There's got to be a way to get out of here and send Senkoukura back!**

**Chopsuey: How are we supposed to do THAT when we've got to deal with Spooky?**

**???: Leave him to US and get going! Your friends need you!**

**Dude: Hey, who are you? How do we send Senkoukura back to his own world?**

**???: Own world? Don't you know the TRUTH?**

**Dude: Hopefully we will on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	49. StC,StW, Part Two!

**CHAPTER FORTY-NINE**

**は、チアリーダーを救え…世界を救え****,****パート****2!**

**Save the Cheerleader…Save the World, Part 2!**

**---------------------------------------------------**

THE PAST…

Nightwing was amazed at the beauty of Senkoukura's sleeping form. He saw it…it's mother. She gently smiled and walked towards the forehead on the crane she was using to reach him, then got off on top of him.

"My dear child. Mommy knows just how to make everything better."

She knelt down and kissed the ground that was his forehead, smiling. "They told me to activate you, and I will…but I'll do it early…this device I have with me will send you back to that time…that time when things began to go so wrong. You will redeem the world, consuming it with fire and rebirthing it with light, and they shall sing your praises."

She kissed her son again. "Remember to have Eclipse tell Mommy all about this plan…"

Nightwing awoke. He gasped as he held his chest and looked over to see Haley was awake, White having woken her up. "What's going on?" She asked the teacher and her partner.

"…Haley…there's so much I have to say." Nightwing told her gently.

…

…

…

…Caught by hissing snakes summoned from the deepest depths of Yuuku's nightmares, everyone was frightened to a certain extent, nobody more so than Yuuku, who was screaming her head off wildly.

"Just relax, girl. Stop struggling and we'll bring you to jail nice and quietly and give you a pleasant cell." Spooky told her. "Trainer, take that rope you brought and tie them up."

Trainer nodded, going over to Crystallene to tie her up. Crystallene growled, snapping at him. "How can you DO this, Trainer?!" She demanded.

"It's for Kim…she's growing weaker every day, dying right before my eyes. There's no other way to save her life…" Trainer said sadly. "Please…please understand…she can't even MOVE…" Trainer said, her body shaking with sorrow as she lifted Crystallene and Yuuku up, taking them away.

"This isn't good…" Chops thought. "We HAVE to find a way to save everyone…"

"HMMMM…" Dude growled. Nick heard that and saw Dude look intently at him and he understood why…Dude was saying, through his eyes, "CAST A SPELL". Their mouths were still open, weren't they?

"Chops! Heartwing! Aim for the Glasses Boy! **IADE-**"

THWOOMP!

The snakes covered their mouths, hissing evilly as Spooky smirked.

"I apologize if my spell gave you a brief glimmer of "hope". But there's no real hope for you. The moment you met Gantu, you fell right into our trap." Spooky told Nick calmly as Trainer grabbed Morpholomew and Spud. "There's no escape from this reality, child."

Nick gave Spooky a glare that could kill.

"Hmph. Trainer, go get that kid with the death glare and the mood necklace…he seems to have the power we need to awaken Senkoukura!"

"Gantu…wasn't…LYING!" Nick yelled. "I saw his true self! He's a good person! He's not like YOU!"

"**AUCTUS!**" Gantu yelled.

Rueben leapt into the air, thrusting his hair forward. The three locks GREW in incredible length and SLAMMED into Spooky and his trainer, knocking them clear through the air as Gantu stood up, gasping for breath.

"WHAT THE?!? This is IMPOSSIBLE!" Spooky snarled, getting back up. "You should be so weak you can't even lift a finger!"

"Don't judge other people by YOUR troggy standards, experiment!" Gantu snarled. "If this curse could REALLY wear me down, I would have been stuck in bed since yesterday! I've lived through worse in the field when I served under the Galactic Federal Armada…and yes, it's true the curse kept me from using a spell before, but I have been saving up my willpower and will use it to show you how strong I truly am!" Gantu roared.

"We're making a path for you so you can escape!" Rueben shouted. "Chops! Kid! ALL of you! You guys are the ones we've been lookin' for, the ones we needed to find after so long! Ain't no WAY we'd let you get handed over to this jerk and Heatwave's forces!"

"Hmph. Because of the curse you can barely move a muscle!" Spooky growled angrily. "Stop trying to act cool!"

"And Yuuku's fear of snakes over here will stop you in your tracks!" Stephen laughed. "**TERRITO!**"

The snakes rose up from their shadows, but this time Rueben jumped into the air, looking down at them all.

"**AUTUS-AUCTUS!**" Gantu snapped out as the book glowed.

Rueben took a deep breath, then…BUDDA-BUDDA-BUDDA! Shot out acidic spit from his mouth that tore through the snakes, dissolving them away. Gantu smirked. "And now finish it with **INCREN…IN…INCREN…**"

He got to one knee, gasping. His forehead was on FIRE! _"What happened to the heart power I saved up!?"_ He thought, eyes going wide. _"I'm…I'm losing consciousness already?"_

"Fu-fu-fuah-ha-ha!" Spooky threw back his head, laughing. "What's WRONG, Gantu? Is the widdle whale TIRED?"

"Don't overdo it, Gantu! WE'LL take him down!" Nick yelled, holding his book up.

"Prepare to taste fist blast!" Chops laughed, taking up a fighting pose.

"**IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick yelled.

THWA-WHOOSH! Chops swung his fists and two emerald fist blasts of energy shot forward…

Spooky just smirked.

TWHOOOOM!

Trainer leapt in the way, hands forward, taking the brunt of the blow. Nick gasped. "She blocked it with her body ALONE?!"

"Kim is going to die…unless I DO something!" Trainer yelled. "You…have…TO COME…WITH…MEEEEEE!" She roared, leaping through the air.

Nick looked down at the book…it wasn't glowing anymore. He was out of heart power. "Crappity-crap-crap-crap!" He shouted.

"I'LL do this! Rock and roll!" Dude hollered. "**TOTUS-INSONS-DRACO!**"

Draco was surrounded with holy light as he clenched his fists, then rushed forward…but Trainer just snarled at him. "GET OUT OF THE WAY OR I'LL **MAKE** YOU, DRAGON!"

Heartwing was about to shake his head when he saw…Trainer was…CRYING…

He couldn't do it…he stopped in midair, a look of pure sympathy covering his face. Trainer, however, wasn't so sympathetic. She whacked Heartwing into Dude and they fell down hard. Taking up another battle pose, she leapt feet forward to kick Chops in the face, but…

"**EXUBERO!**" Gantu hollered out.

Rueben thrust one arm forward and it BULGED and grew out long, striking Trainer and knocking her back. Rueben looked at Trainer. "Whaddya DOIN'?" He demanded. "Your friends are here trying to risk their lives for you to save Kim AND send Senkoukura back!"

"Don't get fooled, Trainer!" Spooky crowed. "There's no WAY to send Senkoukura back! If the seal upon him isn't broken, your dear, sweet lover will DIE!"

"You COWARD!" Gantu snarled.

"I do what I have to." Spooky muttered at this comment. "Now then…AAAA…Morph has a fear of knives after seeing that "Friday the 13th" marathon? Let's try a little something then…"

"**METUO!**" Stephen announced. Spooky held a hand up and an image was formed that made Morph quiver madly…it was a HUGE carving knife! Smirking, Spooky made it grow…and grow…and GROW! Now it was ten times bigger than HE was! He raised it in the air…

"I gotcha backs!" Rueben shouted, rushing forward.

"**PINGUESCO!**" Gantu yelled out. Rueben's body GREW in huge size…okay, really his STOMACH was the only thing that grew, the rest remained the same in size…but the stomach was now harder than steel, and the knife bounded against it harmlessly.

"Making a SHIELD? With your wavering heart power? Oh I wonder, wonder, do I, do I, how long that will LAST!" Spooky sang out.

"Behind us…there's a big hole…" Gantu whispered to the others. "It leads to a completely different room…you must use this chance to escape while we hold them off!"

"But…we can't LEAVE you!" Nick insisted, shaking his head.

"You HAVE to. The others won't have their books burnt just yet…if need be, Heatwave will try and use them to open the seal, so their books will be fine." Gantu insisted. "Just GO, human! I can't hold out much longer!"

Chops nodded. "Nick…it's time…"

"…Gantu…Rueben…_thank you_…" Nick said softly, head lowered.

"MOVE ASIDE!" Trainer snarled, slamming her fists into Rueben's enlarged, hardened stomach over and over.

"Like HELL I will!" Rueben yelled. "Neither Gantu nor I will ever give in! I was just a lazy bum until I met him! He was a captain of the Galactic Federal Armada and went to dozens of different worlds! When he came to THIS one and saved me from drowning, I HAD to go with him!" He insisted. "Even though his ship was broken and he should have used the time he had on this planet to fix it and get back to his duties as a captain, he saw I needed help and stuck by my side! He NEVER backs down from trying to help somebody in trouble and he KNOWS this world and it's inhabitants will all DIE unless he stops Senkoukura! How can you be so selfish!?"

"I CAN'T…LET…KIM…DIE!" Trainer yelled.

"Stubborn resistance…" Spooky hissed. "Perhaps we should use our strongest spell?...no…" He smirked. "You and your book keeper are just…about…done…" He laughed as he continued to strike with the knife.

_"It's all going black before my eyes…"_ Gantu thought to himself._ "I…I can't hold on more than few more moments…"_

Nick and the others were atop Heartwing, rushing through a long hallway…but they could hear what Gantu heard in their hearts.

"NICK! CHOPSUEY! HEARTWING! DUDE! SARA! SHUSH! YOU HAVE TO SAVE THE WORLD! YOU HAVE TO PROTECT EVERYONE! PLEASE!!!...please!...please…"

And with that Gantu's already quivering form hit the ground as he was knocked unconscious. Rueben shrank to normal as Spooky smirked, dissolving the knife and seeing…

The others were gone!

"Damn it! They ran off into Senkoukura's blood vessels!" Spooky snarled. "Trainer, bring the prisoners…"

Rueben held his hands up, protecting Trainer from going anywhere near Gantu as both of them cried, the tears streaming down their cheeks. Trainer looked away in shame before going back to Yuuku, Crystallene, Spud and Morph.

"Hmph…" Spooky mumbled as he addressed the prisoners. "You're all coming with us to the castle, so stand up and LISTEN up. Even if we cannot recapture 621, YOUR power might suffice instead. And if you try to make thing very difficult for us, well…I can make you see things that will turn you mad." Spooky said calmly. "I can become your worst nightmare! There's one day and 15 hours left, so you'd better pull out a very powerful spell from your memory unless you want to die."

"That wont' be necessary." Trainer said calmly. "Chops and the others will be sure to come back for them. He and Nick would NEVER abandon their friends."

"How the hell can you talk like THAT?!" Crystallene cried at Trainer. "YOU'RE our friend too! You AND Kim! You actually think Nick and Chops would abandon **YOU** too?!"

Trainer gripped her fist tightly, tears springing to her eyes. Spooky looked intrigued.

"That moved you to tears? How _touching_…but sadly Mr. Chops isn't going to help you now." Spooky told them all, shaking his head. "The blood vessels are like a maze. Nobody can escape once they're inside. In fact, they'll most likely end up in that "certain room" and be ejected out of Senkoukura forcibly. And then we'll recapture their completely exhausted forms and make them our slaves."

"Don't be an asshole!" Morph yelled, sticking his tongue out at Spooky and giving him a raspberry along with Crystallene.

"Yeah, ASSHOLE!" Crystallene repeated.

"…do we have any duct tape?" Spooky asked Stephen.

…

…

…

… "Hmm. HMMMMM."

"Another fork in the road?"

They'd reached the end of this particular passageway and there was a fork branching off to the left and the right. Shush was positioned at the front of their group, looking at both passageways.

"Which way, Shush?" Chops asked.

She pointed left.

"All right." Chops said. "This way!" He told them, leading them to the right. Shush gulped and followed after, heading back to the front.

"So this is the blood vessels of the dragon?" Sara asked. "Does that mean blood's gonna come out of the walls like from "The Shining"?"

"No…" Chops put his ear to the walls. "I can hear it…what we're walking in is more like a side passage, built for maintenance work on Senkoukura, I would guess."

"Yeah, that room with the tank we were in was probably the liver, which expels poisons from the body in that big water-holder thing we landed in." Nick said. "Good thing we were SOLIDS, and not liquids." He added. "Also a good thing our clothes dried quickly though you STILL smell like wet dog, Chops."

"Yeah, yeah…" Chops mumbled, ears flattening slightly. "We're at another fork." He announced. "Since Shush has got that "radar" ability built in, we should be to the control room in no time! Shush, which way do we go?"

She pointed left.

"Right, to the right!" Chops said, leading them away.

"Er…little dude…why do you keep having us go in the opposite direction of where Shush is pointing?" Dude inquired.

Chops smiled. "Well Dude…that's because…"

Suddenly he grabbed Shush's throat and began throttling her. **"SHUSH IS A LITTLE COWARD WHO'S NOT POINTING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTIIIOOOOON!"**

"GAAAAAKKKKK!"

"Man, she's STILL lying?" Nick groaned. "Chops, come on, let her go. It's not nice to strangle ladies."

…

…

…

…Trainer was back in Kim's room. She continued to lie there, panting heavily.

"Trainer…where are you? It's so…so dark…"

"I'm here, Kim." Trainer whispered, taking her hand. "Just relax and save your strength."

"Trainer…be…be safe…" Kim whispered.

"I can't…I can't let Kim die…even if it means betraying the others…" Trainer thought to himself sadly.

But where WERE the others? Well they had emerged into a HUGE room. There were holey passageways all over it, with many roads leading through the passageway. The only problem was…which one was the safe way out?

"Shush? Which way do we go?" Nick asked.

Shush's mouth lowered dooooown, revealing she was lying as she trembled and raised to point a single paw digit up to the upper right. Nick sighed. "So much for THAT…"

Sara had been very quiet the whole time, her head lowered. Then, before anybody knew what she was doing, she raised her hand…

KA-THWACK!

And SLAPPED Shush hard across the face, so hard she went flying back a few feet and lay there, groaning as she rubbed her sore cheek.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Sara shouted. "Why are you being so cowardly?! You KNOW it, don't you?!" She demanded as Shush looked away, nervously quivering. "Even if you point your hand in the wrong direction, NOTHING is going to change! You know it's pointless but because you're so scared you still try to throw us off track!" Sara screamed at her partner as the others looked on in a mixture of fear and surprise.

"One can't feel AFRAID!" Sara went on. "Didn't you see Gantu's gallant and exemplary example from before?! Even though he was on his last legs he gave us time to escape! You CAN'T be a coward!" She knelt down and lifted Shush off the ground, making her face her partner. "Move FORWARD, Shush! Up until now, all you did was RUN! I'm…" Sara's hands quivered. "I'm the same as you…I'm scared out of my _mind_ of what might go wrong…"

She felt tears spring to her eyes. "But it doesn't matter! If we're going to save the others, we have to keep going! Everyone in the world is going to DIE, and we're the only ones who can save them! The ONLY ONES!" Sara sobbed. "Things like whether this place is scary or not don't MATTER…you have to move forward, Shush! You HAVE to be brave!"

Shush grit her teeth as the tears fell from her own clenched-shut eyes and she sobbed, standing up. "Y…Y…Yes Sara…I understand…"

"She can SPEAK?!" Nick gasped. "Not just say "Shhh" and her name and all that?"

Heartwing sighed. He felt so…left out…

…

…

…

… "We've been waiting in this dumb room for AGES." Nosy said as he and Jameson paced back in the dark blue room that was technically the…well…anus…of Senkoukura. They had been expecting the protagonists to have dropped down from a large hole in the ceiling by now, forced there by taking the wrong path in the small intestines, but instead they'd been waiting all day!

"I'm SUPER bored…I wanna eat something." Nosy said.

"Alright, fine." Jameson said, holding up a backpack. "I got "Panera", your favorite."

"And I got Heatwave's diary!" Nosy laughed, holding it up. "Guess what I've found out about Senkoukura! He's NOT from another world like Heatwave's told the others. He's something far different…"

"What is it?" Jameson asked.

"He's…" Nosy grinned evilly.

…

…

…

…using the spell of "Hitamukinikiku", Shush had flown them up, up, up! Straight into the right passageway. Now they were following it to the sound of something that was growing steadily louder…

And what greeted them was a circular, big room that had a large running track in the center of it. There was a slightly small dragon there, with white fur. He had a red, crest-like wave just above his nostrils, and four horns, two on each side, one on top and one on bottom with a center horn near the top of his forehead. He had beautiful blue eyes and white wings with another pair of wings almost intertwining with them that were smaller in size and made of gold. It had silver claws and talons on it's feet and had a fairly long pair of ears that were going up and down, up and down as it ran.

Heartwing blinked. Somehow this thing was VERY familiar.

"Hey!" Nick yelled out.

The thing leapt up into the air, suspended their for a few moments by it's wings. It turned it's head, blinked at the sight of them, then landed back on the treadmill track, continuing to run. "Yes?" It inquired, it's voice very melodious and beautiful.

"What is this place?" Nick asked.

"This…is Senkoukura's heart! I AM his heart, really!" The dragon told them. "I am Chibisuke, I act as his conscience, his feelings, and what keeps him going! Eclipse is the guardian that senses intruders through the body and sends traps and whatnot after them, or tests them in the beginning. Did he test you?"

"Yep. We all made it through his quizzes just fine." Nick said.

"Well I've got to keep running and pick up the pace quite a bit since Senkoukura…since I…am soon to awaken! So if you have any questions, please hurry up!" Chibisuke asked them.

"Okay! Sure! How do we send Senkoukura back to whatever world he came from?" Chops asked.

"What? Sent BACK? What are you talking about?" Chibisuke asked, continuing to run. He turned his head slightly, looking mortified. "This IS his world!"

**"WHAAAAAAAA?!?"** Everyone screamed.

"But…he's an EXPERIMENT!" Nick gasped. "How can this be his world? His place?"

"He was BORN here in the year of January on "Seijin No Hi", the Second Monday of January!" Chibisuke yelled back. "Didn't anybody tell you?"

Nick blinked.

Born…

On EARTH..

HERE?!

"Then…is he…from the **FUTURE?**" Nick guessed.

"Yes, yes indeed!" Chibisuke laughed happily. "In fact, he's Heatwave's baby boy! Well…she and Heartwing's." Chibisuke told them. "Dr. Jookiba used their DNA to make Senkoukura…to make me! Why, are we in the **past?**" He asked.

"…er…_yeah_…" Dude mumbled. Heartwing's mouth was hanging wide open.

"Well then THAT'S not a good thing. You should go to where the brain is…that's where all the decisions are made!" Chibisuke yelled out. "That entrance behind me leads to the spine and there's a monitor room where you can figure out what you need to discover. You might not like what you learn, though." Chibisuke added sadly.

"Finding out that you're Heartwing's son isn't the worst of it? And that you're going to destroy the world?" Chops growled.

"I have no wish to destroy the world." Chibisuke defended. "I have a far grander purpose, a noble destiny. Go discover it, Dorothy…it's at the end of the yellow brick road!"

"What's to stop us from just killing you and keeping Senkoukura from moving? That way we can destroy the seal and you can all stay part of a hunk of rock forever!" Chops growled.

Chibisuke frowned and stopped running, turning around and glaring intently. "Do NOT misunderstand me." He whispered softly, dangerously. "I am protected by a magical aura, the same as Eclipse and several OTHER areas of the body, like the brain. In fact, Senkoukura runs on aura power, and once he awakens, it's true I won't be protected anymore…but I WILL fight you…completely powered up and willing to give everything I have…but I'm telling you to go because you are my father." He told Heartwing, nodding his head. "You have much to learn about your future son…now GO." He pointed into a passageway with a silver claw. "And hurry up…there's little time left."

…

…

…

…they found themselves in a HUGE room that was covered with monitors that showed off Senkoukura's body structure. There was a great computer console in the center, and Chops used a round "mouse" to click on a picture of Senkoukura's insides.

"Look here." He said. "Those are the most vital rooms." He said. "I'm rotating it by degrees and…there! A passage to the brain, but there are doors blocking the way. Not that that's a big deal, because I figured out where the device is that can send Senkoukura back to the future…"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I remember that conversation we had with Chibisuke…he thought he was still in the future, implying that somebody ADDED a device that sent Senkoukura to the past recently! And if something so big is going to be sent to the past, you'd need LOTS of energy, right?"

"Yes." Chops said, nodding. "You're catching on! And right HERE is where a lot of energy is being kept…a room that's out of sync with the rest of the body, that doesn't FIT in the schematics!" Chopsuey told them, pointing with the pointer on the screen at a round room that had a "Mystery" symbol on it. "THAT'S the room that has the device which can send Senkoukura back to the future!"

"Shush, remember that place's location!" Sara told her.

"Gotcha!" Shush said, nodding. "That's the right one, alright…it feels "wrong" according to my radar. I can take us to that room, but you guys must be BUSHED…" She said, looking at Nick. "Especially you…you've got bags under your eyes, mister…"

Nick blinked. "I…I guess…" He mumbled. "I've been eating candy to keep my energy up." He said, holding up some bubble gum from his pocket.

"You guys should rest. I'll memorize the path since I can read the writing a little bit, and you take a little nap, okay?" Shush offered.

Well…they all did…and Shush stood there, watching them sleep. She then ran to the control console and fiddled around with it, bringing up a file that read "History"…

She read it over, eyes going wide at what she saw. Senkoukura had been made by Jumba in the year 2048, created from a mix of Heatwave and Heartwing's DNA. And his purpose was…

It was terrible and yet awesome at the same time. Kind and cruel…

Shush's eyes narrowed. She HAD to get going! This was it…time to prove she wasn't just some perverted weakling…

…

…

…

…Shush's ears were SUPER long and super strong. Using all her energy, Shush had wrapped the sleeping group up in her ears and now carried the group up a flight of stairs.

"Okay, I'm halfway there…there's no time to rest…" Shush thought to herself, crying slightly. "I've been a burden to everyone before…but not anymore! I was the only one who could lead them, but I was too cowardly to do so before…NOT…ANYMORE!" Shush thought. "This is so scary, being inside somebody like Senkoukura…but I'm the only one who hasn't really helped…and if I do this, maybe Sara will smile…"

Suddenly Shush took the step wrong and found herself falling back…back!

"AAA-"

TWHOMP!

Heartwing and Chops had woken up. "It's okay!" Chops said gently. Heartwing nodded eagerly. "We're gonna help you out, Shush!" Chops went on.

"Th…thank you…" Shush whispered softly.

…

…

…

…soon they had reached the top and found an ENORMOUS pair of metallic doors. Depositing the humans down on the ground, Shush took deep breaths as Chopsuey patted her on the back. "Great job, Shush!"

She blushed slightly, then stiffened, eyes going wide and turning her head towards the door. "S-S-Somebody's…somebody's…"

Heartwing gasped, feeling a familiar aura tingle with his own.

"There's two strong people on the other side!" Shush gasped. "I can feel it! They're in that room that has the device that will send Senkoukura back! We gotta wake the humans up!"

Then the door opened…

And in the doorway stood none other than Dan, tail raised menacingly, and Auron, with his book keeper Riley.

"DAN!" Chops gasped.

"AAA! AAAA!" Heartwing gulped.

"So, Auron, you were right…the dragon we fought before WAS here." Riley told Auron, who nodded.

"How interesting we'd meet HERE, Kimaira-user Chopsuey." Dan inquired. "Shall I play you a little song? Perhaps a funeral dirge before you die?"

"You're gonna KILL us?!" Shush gasped. "Wait…how come I didn't sense you before?"

"I can HIDE myself with a certain song." Dan said, holding up his violin and stroking it, playing a haunting little melody that made Chops think of lonely beaches. "But that's not important right now. Prepare for your end."

"**MEHAMEHA****KALEKONA!**" Riley yelled out as diabolical power spread towards them like a cancer oozing forward to engulf their bodies…

**Review! And enjoy this preview!**

**Heatwave: It's time to break the seal!**

**Kim: I hate what I have to do, but I'm sure Nick and the others will come and set things right...**

**Gantu: We must have HOPE above all...**

**Nick: So THIS is the device to send him back? Hmm...I've got a plan! But you find out what it is until the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	50. StC,StW, Part Three!

**CHAPTER FIFTY  
****は、チアリーダーを救え****…****世界を救え****, ****パート****3!  
Save the Cheerleader…Save the World, Part 3!**

**----------------------------------------------------**

Haley sat on the bed, Nightwing holding one hand as they looked into each other's eyes.

"…do you truly mean what you are saying?" She asked softly. Her hair was messed up from bed-head, but she wasn't caring about that. The revelation she had just learned had almost blown her mind.

He nodded. "I think I have for some time, but…I'm rather frightened of the idea. I don't want to…to hurt you." He looked down.

"We have a son." Haley spoke. "Are we happy?" She asked White.

White shrugged, smiling enigmatically. "Ah, who knows? I've heard tales of people who acted like every day was a honeymoon, but really had hearts that were colder than ice on the inside."

"_**Now that's just**_-!" Haley began. But then White raised his hand.

"BUT from what I saw and felt, you two truly loved each other with all your hearts." White spoke calmly. "Is that all you have to ask?"

"Yeah." Haley asked quietly.

"…well…the thing is…I'm going to give you some time to yourself." White said. "There's something I want to check on…" White nodded, then walked out onto the balcony, turning around and giving them a brief nod before leaping through the air and vanishing into the trees below.

Haley and Nightwing looked into each other's eyes.

"I've never actually…well…" Haley looked nervous.

"Me neither." Nightwing admitted. "But I…I don't want to just go back to the laboratory without leaving a legacy behind. I'm not sure I want to go back at all." He admitted. "Being with you made me feel very…very happy. I began to care less and less about becoming the champion and more and more about being with you."

"I'm not afraid of…you know." She said quietly. "I'm not a little kid."

"Are you nervous?" Nightwing asked, gently brushing some hair aside.

"I…I feel kinda hot…" She admitted.

He nuzzled her neck. "Haley…I love you so deeply…"

She began to take her clothes off. He laid her down onto the bed…

It was both their first times. And it was worth it. As they lay next to each other, dozing off into sleep, White ran through the woods at top speed, hoping that his act of sympathy towards them was worth it, hoping he had warned them in time.

…

…

…

… He had. And somebody else acted in time too.

Sara was a surprisingly light sleeper. She had awoken to see an attack whizzing towards her partner and had lifted her book up.

"**KEICHOU!**" She'd hollered.

"Shush!"

"Whaaaaaaaatttttttt theeeeeeeeeee?!?"

Riley blinked super-slowly as he realized that he, his partner and Dan were all moving incredibly slowly, caught in Shush's time-slowing spell. Shush smirked as Sara and Chops tried desperately to wake the others up, shaking them as hard as they could.

"NICK! Come on, you idiot! WAKE UP!" Chopsuey howled.

"Mr. Dude, you MUST wake up!" Sara begged, tugging on Dude's clothes.

_"We finally found the room that has the device which can send Senkoukura to the future, back where he belongs. Why are THEY here?!"_ Shush wondered as she tried to help the others.

Somebody else was wondering why they were here…specifically, Heatwave. She twirled her staff as she approached Spooky, then slammed the end to the ground.

"You mean to tell me there are two MORE experiments within the Lord of Flame and Light?" She demanded of Spooky. "And they're at that room with the device?! Why didn't you sense them earlier?"

"I don't know, but the moment I sensed them meet 621 and the others their power surged onto the radar." Spooky apologized. "But don't worry…one of them has a cursed partner…"

Heatwave blinked. "It must be…Dan."

"Yes, I'm pretty sure it's Dan." Spooky said. "But he might use the device…"

"No, he wouldn't, because if he did, his dear, sweet little partner…that child, Charlie would die a painful death." Heatwave told Spooky calmly. "He wouldn't do anything that reckless…he thinks things out. In fact…" She rubbed her chin. "Despite some unforeseen circumstances, it's actually a good thing that experiment is so close to the seal area…so close to being here. If 621 lives, then we can begin to break the seal. And even if he DOESN'T, we still have Dan to rely on. Luck…is on our side." Heatwave whispered, grinning broadly.

…

…

…

…luck was on the good guy's side too…Nick and Dude had woken up and now Chops was grappling with Dan.

"You've gone on your LAST Magic Carpet Ride, hippie!" Riley laughed at Dude.

"Listen to me, fringe-boy!" Chops demanded, snarling in Dan's face.

"I don't have any reason to heed your words, ogre." Dan growled. "The mission will be completed soon! If you interfere I will slay you AND your partner!"

"We don't have TIME for this! We need to get into that room and use the device to send Senkoukura back to the future!" Nick yelled.

"I had a feeling you were intending to use that device, human." Dan said, grinning broadly. "But you're too late! My group has already used it! Any minute now the device will start up!"

"Yes, and then Senkoukura will be sent back to the future!" Riley added, nodding.

"WHAAAA! ANY MINUTE?!" Nick gasped.

"You're just gonna send the big guy back right now?" Dude asked.

"Yes! We've no idea when this opportunity might come again!" Dan yelled. Auron nodded his head in agreement.

"But what about the people who were cursed?" Sara asked, horrified. "If the seal isn't broken on Senkoukura, then four innocent people will die! You'd sacrifice those people to do this?"

"SH…SHUT UP!" Dan snarled, jumping back as tears appeared in his eyes. It made them all stop in a mixture of sadness and horror as Dan opened the door some more…

Revealing Charlie was lying there, against the door, panting heavily as the curse seal was embedded in his head.

"I KNOW what the curse will do because Heatwave cursed MY partner as well!" Dan yelled. "But Charlie insisted that we do this anyway!"

There was a collective gasp of horror. Nick stood there, looking at Charlie with an expression of pure pity, and Chops's eyes went wide.

"That…that's just…"

He clenched his fist and snarled at Dan. "STOP IT, DAN! How can you talk about at little boy's death so COLDLY? And he's your goddamn PARTNER!" Chopsuey screamed angrily. "You're REALLY alright with letting that child die?!"

"St-stop t-talking like…like that…" Charlie mumbled, clutching onto the book for dear life as if it was a life preserver and he was floating away out to shark-infested seas. Everyone blinked in surprise at this sudden plea. "I don't want nobody to get hurt because of the big dragon…I just want everyone in the world to be happy…I'll be okay if everyone else is happy and safe…"

Riley looked away, his eyes covered in shadow, not wanting to betray his emotions.

"Dan…come on, we…we gotta go back inside and…and start the thingy up…" Charlie whispered.

"Of…of course…" Dan sobbed. "Just hold on, I'll…"

Nick suddenly spoke up. "**YOU** hold on! THAT IS NOT THE ONLY WAY!"

"Yeah! We're HERE to protect people like YOU!" Chops shouted, pointing at Charlie, then at Auron and Riley.

Nick ran to Charlie and knelt by him. "What are you, SIX? Your **first multiplication test** is the only thing you should be worrying about at your age!" Nick pleaded.

"But…what are we supposed to do?" Charlie murmured.

"I can save you…AND send Senkoukura back to the future!" Nick insisted, placing his hand on Charlie's.

"WHAT?!" Riley gasped.

"AH!" Auron's eyes went wide.

"REALLY?!" Dan gasped.

"You know how to activate the device, right?" Chops asked.

"Yes…" Dan said. "But you have to know Turonian."

"Take us to it! We'll master the language and figure out a way!" Nick shouted, grabbing Dan and shaking him slightly by the shoulders. "I've already got a plan!"

…

…

…

…the room was enormous…and the thing in the center even bigger. It was like a large crystal ball that had a huge, burning flame in the center, and a large computer console with a big keyboard hooked up to it at the front.

"What is it?" Sara asked.

"That's the Frozen Flame, it's used to manipulate time." Dan explained. "At least, from what I've learned. But even though I'm of "moderately gifted" intelligence when it comes to reading Turonian, I can't seem to understand half of these codes…" He mumbled. "It's like they blended some strange, ancient language into it…"

"Teach me the characters of Turo then!" Nick said. "And hurry!" He looked at his watch. "We got five hours left!"

Dan proceeded to explain the "alphabet" of Turo and Nick scribbled it all down onto his notepad. He then proceeded to look through the different "functions" on the computer screen.

"Alright, Nick brought food in his backpack and so did Dude…everyone take some food and let's eat up, then get some rest while me, Nick and Dan figure this out!" Chops ordered.

"Okay, I know that…yes!" Nick grinned. "JUST what I was hoping for…a TIMER function." Nick laughed, looking the screen over. "Using this, we can break the seal, and then have Senkoukura warped right back to the future!" He proclaimed.

"How'd you figure it out based on the alphabet alone?" Dan asked. "I can read the letters, but their arrangement into new words is confusing…"

"The letters have been arraigned into LATIN words!" Nick told him. "I know LOTS of Latin!" He bragged.

"Alright, we can take care of Charlie after all!" Sara said. "He's going to be alright." She told Riley happily.

"W-whatever!" He mumbled. "I'm still gonna kick that stupid kiddy dragon's ass once this is over!"

"You know, when we were fighting, I got the feeling you really didn't like workin' together with others. Why'd you decide to join up with Charlie and Dan?" Dude asked her, feeling like he was asking something naughty.

"We were tracking YOUR partner's scent, and then we met up with them. The moment I saw the little kid all sick and sweating…I…I just HAD to help him." Riley mumbled. "Back in my wrestling glory days, I had this sweet little fan, the kid…the kid reminded me of him."

Dude smiled. "That's really sweet, man!"

"Don't misunderstand me! I told you, when this is all over, your dragon will die." Riley snapped…but it seemed like it was half-hearted, like he honestly didn't WANT to do it.

"I hope that Senkoukura's not that smart." Dude said. "I hope he got Heartwing's brains as well as his body."

"Yeah, cuz Heartwing's dumber than a fried octopus ball." Dan laughed.

"GRRRR!" Heartwing growled angrily.

"_Guys_!" Nick announced. "Hocus FOCUS! There's a problem. I've got the timer going, but the thing is, once the seal on Senkoukura's broken, there will have to be a period of time before he's able to be sent back!"

"How long?" Dan asked.

"According to this…the device needs five hours and thirty minutes to charge enough power." Nick said, double-checking the time.

"Well the seal will be broken in four hours." Dan said. "Which means we have 90 minutes to keep Senkoukura from rioting around, right?"

"Yeah…and you CAN stop Senkoukura…right?" Chops inquired.

Dan smirked. "I'm NOT all talk. You haven't even seen our GREATEST power."

"Alright…the timer's activated, but there's something else here…a way to fiddle around with Senkoukura's controls…" Nick grinned. "This might take a while, so everyone get comfortable!" He began to sing as he typed up a storm on the console. _**"I'm your wicked Uncle Nicky, I'm glad nobody can stop me as I fiddle aaabout, fiddle aaabout, fiddle about! Heatwave doesn't know I'm in you, so I'm doing what I want to, watch me fiddle aaabout, fiddle aaabout, fiddle about! You won't shout as I fiddle abooooout!"**_

_"What a CLOWN…" _Dan thought. _"But he's our last hope…"_

…

…

…

…the sky was getting brighter as light was beginning to be shed upon the terrace at the top of Senkoukura. The "Cult Members" were all facing the mighty seal upon the dragon's prison. Heatwave was in front, with Spooky and Stephen nearby. Weirdly enough, Heatwave's partner wasn't there…

"Oh boy…where are Chops and the gang?" Morph mumbled.

"Maybe they got lost?" Spud thought.

"They're GOING to come!" Yuuku insisted.

"But the sky's getting brighter by the second, and dawn is the time limit for the curse!" Morpholomew moaned. "Kim and Gantu are gonna die if…if…"

Trainer held Kim up as she quivered nervously, while Gantu crossed his arms, trying to be vigilant. Rueben gave the encaged Morph, Yuuku, Spud and Crystallene a thumbs up. "Don't'cha worry 'bout nothin'!" He insisted. "You hafta believe in your friends!"

"Yes…they're DEFINITELY gonna come back!" Kim whispered, brushing some hair away. "They would never abandon us!"

Experiment 471, Sneak, was coiled slightly as he looked around. He was a snake-like creature with a big black helmet on his head that had little antennae sticking out from the "ear" area. His red eyes contrasted greatly with his black, many-pocketed vest and his high-tech helmet, and two long, thin fangs were jutting down from his upper lip. He had light green scales and a tail spike that was white, just like his teeth. His small, child-like book keeper nervously held onto the pale green book as he brushed some long black hair out of his eyes.

Meanwhile, Experiment 518 stood by a black-haired, sunglass-wearing South African Caucasian who was smirking visibly, fooling around with a lighter. The firespout-headed Flame crossed his arms and shot her a look and his book keeper stopped, putting away the lighter before she accidentally burnt himself, or, more importantly, the light orange book that was hers.

Experiment 258, Sample, was a bright orange koala-like creature who had a big round nose, a very broad mouth, black eyes that had no pupils and large, purple round ears that resembled speakers. He was nervously picking his ears with one paw digit, looking around hesitantly…

"What if it comes to life and sucks our blood or s-s-s-something?" He mumbled.

"Don't be ridiculous. He'd probably just eat us." Flame spoke.

"THAT'S WORSE!" Sample howled, tugging on his ears. "I don't want him eating me!"

"What about ME?" His partner asked.

"Don't worry, he wouldn't eat YOU, human blood tastes too salty and the flesh is foul." Gantu said calmly.

"I don't even WANNA know how you know that." Spud gulped.

"He tried to HARPOON me. Anyhow, I only ate his hand! Now he looks just like Captain Hook…" Gantu mumbled. "It **_wasn't_** my fault…"

Spooky frowned. He couldn't sense the others at all…were they not coming?

"Heatwave…" He began.

"I KNOW. Luck is apparently NOT…on our side…" Heatwave whispered harshly. "No matter, we must begin anyhow!" She raised her staff. "Listen well! Everyone, prepare to fire your spells!" She howled. "On my signal, aim at the keyhole and unleash your strongest spells all at the same time!"

"But there might not be enough strength to do so!" Kim shouted.

"Then I hope you don't mind dying before you become "legal", honey." Heatwave said coolly.

"We'll just have to make up for Chops not being here by exerting more heart power!" Trainer said.

_"No…we won't. We'll use a normal amount of power. I'd rather die than have a monster like Senkoukura stomping around, Trainer."_ Kim thought to herself.

"Is this it?" Gantu wondered out loud. "I thought that boy would…"

"HE'S GOING TO COME BACK!" Rueben insisted. "Chops would NEVER, EVER break his word! If there's one thing he always does it's keep his promises! If you die, then…then…"

His body was turned away from Gantu and towards the seal, but the tone in his voice and the shaking of his body gave away his mood. "If you die, I'm never gonna…gonna forgive you…"

"You know, if we break the seal, we'll be going down a bad road." Wyn told Bonnie, who crossed her arms and blinked slowly. "Do you really?..."

"This is fine, Wyn. I don't wanna lose you." Bonnie said quietly. "I AIN'T gonna lose you. Not to anything. Especially not to a stinkin' curse!"

"Yeah…come on…pump up the power so I can usurp Senkoukura's might!...OOH, that gave me tingles!" Kingpin laughed as Trey pumped his partner up with power.

_"IDIOT. We can all HEAR you! You're as dumb as a fried octopus ball!" _Jam thought to himself, rolling his eyes as his partner stood across from Flame's partner, who was standing across from Sneak's and HIS partner, who was standing across from SAMPLE'S partner.

"Hmm…where IS Heatwave's partner?" Ri wondered, looking intrigued. "I don't think we've EVER seen him…or is it a her?"

It was a HE. Heatwave thought to herself, smirking. Once she was finished with this and with them, she would not NEED her partner anymore…she could finally have ghayat assa-adah…the ultimate pleasure…

"The sun is rising above the sea!" Heatwave yelled out as the sunrise began to peek its head up. "Now…**BREAK THE SEAL!**"

"**SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**" Jam's pulsing, dark blast shot out from his wings at the seal.

"**VALIDO-SPARARE!**" Kingpin laughed as he launched his own attack forward, the laser blasts striking the seal.

"**MATTAKU-SHOUKYAKU!**" Flame's book keeper Farla snarled as a huge circle of fire shot out of Flame's firespout at the top of his head, curling up through the air and gaining incredible size, becoming a comet that struck the seal.

"**ISHIKAWA-GOEMON!**" Wyn hollered as Bonnie's eyes glowed and she raised her hands in the air. Sparkling pixie dust of some kind blended together, forming an ENORMOUS, glowing crystal that resembled the Hope diamond. It soared through the air, hissing slightly as if boiling…

"**UNDISONUS-SONITUS!**" Sample's strange-looking book keeper yelled as Sample opened the earflaps on his ears and a ROCKING chorus of sounds all blended together, forming a large, glowing missile of strength with a pointed end that flew at the seal.

"**SHINJA-DOSHI!**" Sneak's book keeper hollered as Sneak's horned helmet let loose a shining light. A moment later a HUGE, rainbow-scaled serpent lunged forward, made of glistening aura that raced towards the seal.

"**JEET KUNEDO!**" Kim roared out, as Trainer's body glowed and she called forth the headband-wearing aura warrior that soared, feet first, at the seal.

"**OMNIS INCREMENTUM!**" Gantu yelled as Rueben's body glowed, sending up a huge splash of aura that formed into a mighty beast that sort of resembled Stitch…gold in color, strong arms, brilliant eyes and fangs pointing downward from his mouth…ears swept back from his head with tips like daggers…the beast rushed at the seal!

"**OMNIS ATROCITAS!**" Stephen yelled out as Spooky's eyes glowed and he let out a LONG breath that took the form of a purple/black beast…it had a huge grill over it's body, a face that looked rotted away, and a body to match…covered with rust and blood, this thing shot out tentacles made of barbed wire that struck the seal…

"**ONDATA DI CALDO!**" A voice shouted out from somewhere as Heatwave's body BULGED with strength, and a burning creature arose, made of fire, shooting out from her back. It had three heads and resembled Cerberus, the hellhound. Roaring, the dog rushed forward at the seal, fangs opening wide.

Unfortunately, though they pounded and pounded, it wasn't breaking…

"DAMN IT! IT AIN'T BREAKIN'! GIVE IT MORE POWER!" Kingpin snarled.

"The sun's almost up! Those people are going to die!" Crystallene screamed.

"AAAA!!!" Wyn screamed, clutching her forehead.

"They…they've GOTTA come…" Kim whispered…

"HA! **ALOHAAAA!**"

Everyone looked up to see Nick and Chops riding on top of Heartwing, With Dan riding atop Auron as Charlie, Dude and Riley jumped down by the cage the prisoners were in, smiling as the powerful fivesome aimed themselves at the seal…they'd used Dan's cloaking power to hide themselves, but they had finally come!

**"PERCUTIO, PERCUTIO, PERCUTIO!"** Nick yelled as Chops launched metallic balls at the seal and they sank in, one at a time.

**"DIOFOCHE-FERRIUM!"** Charlie yelled as the bow blade attack struck the seal.

"And with THIS, shatter to pieces!" Nick shouted as Chops grinned. **"KIMAIRA!"** He called out to the Heavens, pointing at the seal with two fingers.

An emerald pair of jaws clamped down hard and…

The seal shattered. The bars of the prison fell to pieces. The grey stone that had sealed the dragon away began to crack and…

The Lord of Flame and Light, Senkoukura, let out a mighty roar as he looked up at the sky, awakened at last.

**REVIEW! And now for another preview!**

**Chopsuey: Holy HELL he's HUGE!**

**Nick: Say THAT five times fast!**

**Crystallene: You're crackin' wise at a time like this?!**

**Nick: Relax...I've got a plan. It'll be unveiled at the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	51. The Impossible Will Take A While, Pt1

**CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE  
****不可能なことにがかかりそうです時間****,****パート****1 ****！****  
The Impossible is Going to Take a Little While, Part 1!**

**---------------------------------------------**

A FEW MINUTES BEFORE SENKOUKURA'S AWAKENING…

Jameson and Nosy were still sitting in that room they'd been before. To pass the time, Jameson had gotten an idea. Now he was "conducting" a little song as Nosy sang.

_**I see a little silhouetto of a man!**_Both sang out.  
_**Thunderbolt and lightning-very very frightening…ME!**_Nosy sang.

Scaramouche,scaramouche will you do the fandango!

Galileo!

_**Galileo!**_ Jameson sang.

_**Galileo, Galileo  
Galileo Figaro!**_

"Magnificoooo!" Jameson laughed.

_**I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me… **_Nosy sang out, wearing a little hat atop his head and looking like an orphan. He gave his best "Bambi eyes" impression before Jameson resumed the song.

_**He's just a poor boy from a poor family, spare him his life from this monstrosity!**_

Nosy started up again!

_**Easy come easy go-,will you let me go!**_

Then everything started SHAKING. "WHAT THE?!" Jameson cried out, slamming into the wall. A few moments later Nosy slammed into him. "OOF!"

"What's h-h-happening?!" Nosy cried out.

…

…

…

…He was awake.

This was not good.

NOT.

GOOD!

He had a large and muscular body that was "armored", with red "gloves" on his hands and sharp white claws. There was red armor atop his neck, shoulders and knees, two jet-like wings sprouting out from his back, beautiful golden eyes that sparkled brightly and sharp talons and fangs. His snout was fairly long and two large horns curled up from a big red gem in the middle of his forehead.

"Oh…my! **Jesus save us!**" Sara gasped.

"I've done it AGAIN!" Morpholomew cried, covering his eyes.

"…he's BIG." Spud remarked.

"He's BIG?! Is that the only thing you can think to say you…BOOB?!" Crystallene shouted, jumping on Spud's chest and throttling him.

"WOW, we're high…" Nick mumbled, stepping away from the edge. "OOOGH, I don't feel too good!"

"Wait, the curse!" Yuuku shouted. "Is it-?"

Kim smiled, brushing some hair to the side. There was no mark on her head anymore. "I'm…I'm fine, guys. Gonna be just great!"

Trainer hugged her tightly, smiling happily as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Kim, I'm SORRY…I know I was selfish, but…I couldn't' lose you!"

"It's okay, Trainer. I understand your feelings." Nick said gently, nodding.

"We broke the curse! Hava nagila!" Dude laughed, dancing around with Heartwing as they bounded up and down.

Shush held Chopsuey's hand. "May I have this "happy heroes" dance?" She asked.

"You got it!" Chops said, nodding.

The two clasped hands and began dancing around in a circle, laughing happily and singing "we did it, we did it" over and over. Dan was clinging to Charlie like he never wanted to let him go and Gantu felt his chest. "Phew…I feel MUCH better. It was like my whole body was being encased in burning coals!" He looked down at Rueben, who was looking away, shaking slightly. "I'm sorry for making you worry…Rueben? Rueben?"

Rueben walked over to Chops, tapping him on the shoulder. Letting go of Shush, Chopsuey turned around as Rueben, crying, embraced him. "You came late, but…THANKS…" He whispered softly. "I-I KNEW you c-could do it!" He stuttered.

Chops hugged him back. "No problem, cousin. No problem."

"So Charlie's alright?" Riley asked, looking nervous.

"I'm ALL better!" Charlie said, jumping into the air and clapping his feet together, making Dan, Auron and Riley smile at once.

TWHOOOOM

"AAA! HE'S MOVING!" Nick shouted, grabbing onto a column that was sticking out of the terrace. "EVERYONE GRAB SOMETHING!"

Everybody clung to the terrace and columns for dear life as Senkoukura rose up into the air, taking deep breaths. He then flew off the island he'd been on and calmly reached down into the water…

"What is he?" Chopsuey wondered.

He didn't have to wonder long. Senkoukura held a whale aloft in the air, which squirmed around uselessly.

"He's not gonna-" Nick murmured.

He WAS. He dangled the whale over his maw and dropped it in, swallowing it down with a large gulp.

"YAAAAA!!!" Crystallene shrieked, eyes wide with horror. "That was a BLUE WHALE!" She screamed. "He ate a BLUE WHALE in one GULP!"

"Well, we're boned!" Spud cried.

Senkoukura knelt down into the ocean and began to drink from it. Then suddenly he got an itch in his nose.

"AAA…AAAA!"

"Uh oh…" Nick gulped.

"HACHOOOOOO!"

THWOOOMBAAAAA! A sneeze sent a shockwave that rippled through the air and sent a small island that was a few miles away…FLYING into the air! It came back down with a THA-THWOOSH and shifted slightly as everyone gasped in horror. It had popped into the air like a POG!

Eyes popped out of their sockets. Some spoke in tongues, words failing them, other people wet themselves excessively. I won't say names because it's possible **TREY** couldn't help it!

"HEY!!!"

Moving right along…

"His sneeze sent an island flying!" Riley shouted.

"Man, I couldn't think of this stuff even if I was HIGH!" Dude gasped.

"We're gonna diiiiiiie!" Spud cried. Heartwing covered his eyes, quivering madly.

"Guys, calm DOWN!" Chops shouted.

"How can one CONTROL this…this THING?!" Flame shouted.

"Can he be CONTROLLED at all?" Sample gasped in horror.

"HA-HA-HA!" Kingpin laughed. "This power will be all mine! Alright, Heatwave, fulfill your end of the deal like-"

The "bad guys" turned around to see…

Heatwave was GONE!

"She's buggered off!" Nick shouted.

"So she has…" Trey remarked. "She's bloody SCARPERED."

Then they heard a commanding voice that echoed through the air.

"**SENKOUKURA! LORD OF FLAME AND LIGHT! MY DEAREST CHILD…STAY READY FOR YOUR MOTHER'S WILL!**"

Everyone looked into the air to see Heatwave was hovering there! Frowning, Kinpin lit his cigar. "Cocky, aren'tcha? Just "hanging around" like that? Trey! I feel like making a FRIED TOMATO!"

"**VALIDO SPARARE!**" Trey shouted as Kingpin's nose glowed.

"**SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**" Ri yelled out as Jam spread his wings wide.

The two attacks whizzed through the air, pulsing and…

Going…right…through…Heatwave.

"It's an illusion!" Spooky realized.

"I knew what you idiots were plotting. After the seal was broken, you all planned to take my child's power for yourselves!" Heatwave remarked, twirling her staff and pointing it at all the "villains", one by one. "How idiotic you are…only I can control him. After all, a son's best friend is his mother…" She said softly. "I know just how to make him happy…how to make him do what needs to be done. Allow me to demonstrate how powerful my son is!"

She snapped her fingers. "Honey, be a dear and perform the **Ranpu Shougekiha**, would you?" She asked.

"Light Shockwave?" Kim asked, recognizing the Japanese.

Senkoukura lowered it's arms slightly, then raised them up as light built up in it's opened maw, swirling around to reach a center point, a large ball of teeming energy. It then clenched it's fists as it roared and an ENORMOUS ray of burning light shot out, twirling through the air like a ray of sunlight that was poking through a set of clouds…only ten thousand times more potent and deadly. The beam struck the ocean and…

BRAAAA-BOOOOOMMMM!

It was like witnessing a small nuclear bomb go off. A thin mushroom cloud popped up into the air as the part of the sea that had been struck became alit with flames before the huge explosion of water that had been sent into the air came down, dousing it out…as chunks of earth that had been blown up into the air from the bottom of the part of the sea came down as well. A dome of light surrounded the area that had been blown up, glimmering for a few moments before finally dying away.

Everyone was speechless. Chops's eyes narrowed. Nick blinked his wide eyes. Kingpin's legs were quivering, Sara had fainted and Shush was trying to wake her up and Heatwave laughed horridly. "Ku-ku…KUAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! **NOW YOU SEE MY CHILD'S POWER!!!**"

"We're all gonna DIE!" Morph screamed.

People were sweating. The villains watched as Heatwave turned to face them.

"I'm currently in a room that only I, who shares the blood of Senkoukura, has access to, unless I invite others inside. And THAT…is the "control room", his brain. If you oppose me…well…you saw what just happened." Heatwave crossed her arms. "If you become my servants, you'll be saved. After I finish my business here, you'll be set free. So what will it be? Become my servant…" Her face darkened as she smiled cruelly. "Or be erased right here, on the spot?"

She snapped her fingers as a glowing pad of light appeared below her illusionary form. "That pad will take you to safety. If you don't, then you must be quite a masochist to want such a painful death."

Meanwhile, Gantu and Nick were speaking. "I found a way to send Senkoukura back to the future, but it will be 90 minutes before he can go back." Nick told Gantu, Kim, Trainer, Rueben, Morph, Spud, Crystallene and Yuuku. "I don't know whether we can stop him for 90 minutes, but one thing we CAN do is survive." Nick said. "We all work together, we all live, that hope we have remains."

"Where there is life, there is hope, where there is hope there is a chance we can WIN." Chopsuey agreed, nodding his head.

"Wyn, let's get going." Bonnie said, getting on the pad.

"WHAT?" Wyn looked horrified.

"If we try to fight against Heatwave, she'll kill us right here, right now." Bonnie mumbled. "I don't wanna see you get hurt or nothin'. We need to stay alive fer now."

"It would be a smart idea to play along with her for now." Ri told Jam quietly.

"Right. We shall wait until her guard is down…" Jam agreed.

"I'll become her minion for NOW, and THEN I'm gonna make sure SHE'S erased!" Kingpin laughed. "She's made me an offer I can't refuse!"

"We can HEAR YOU…" Trey groaned. "Jeez, he's got the IQ of a cannoli!"

"Maybe we should…er…run…" Morpholomew muttered, twitching nervously.

"If we tried to run, the bitch would follow us." Chops remarked, waving his clawed hand dismissively. "And he might destroy New Zealand if we hide there…"

"It doesn't matter IF we run anyway…the dragon can fire a beam that flies across the ocean!" Spud mumbled.

"Luckily it's not that simple!" Nick laughed. "The beam requires a LOT of power…he'll need quite a bit of time before he can fire it again!"

"Huh?" Dan looked confused. "Wait…did you?"

"Like I said…we have to survive for a little while." Nick said.

"So you're still here?" Heatwave asked, tilting her head to the side slightly as the plate with the "villains" on it vanished into Senkoukura. "How interesting…fine. You can be target practice, my baby's warm up exercises! Especially YOU!" She shouted, pointing at Nick and Chopsuey. "And honey…" She smirked down at Heartwing. "You should start flying away…"

Heartwing glared at her and stuck his tongue out, blowing off a raspberry as Senkoukura raised his claws up into the air.

"Some time has to pass before I can use the main beam…but luckily, Senkoukura has plenty of other skills!" Heatwave announced. "Use the **Ranpu Tsume!**"

Senkoukura's claws glowed as everyone scattered, rushing to different parts of the terrace as the glowing claws sent out zigzag beams of light that struck the terrace and began to break it apart. Heatwave frowned. What the?

"YEEEK!" Spud shouted, clutching his cap. The top had been singed!

"Odd…the aim slipped…" Heatwave murmured. "And this is the second time! Senkoukura was supposed to fire at New Zealand and he fired into the OCEAN instead!"

"Aw, too bad, Heatwave!" Nick thought to himself, a big grin on his face he raced along the terrace with Chopsuey, who he'd powered up with "Imperium". "Is his AIM off? I wasn't simply playing SOLITAIRE at that computer in Senkoukura's control system! I started the timer AND screwed up his aiming systems! And…one OTHER thing that will occur in a little while!"

"Hmm…" Heatwave rubbed her chin. "I've underestimated that kid…he's smarter than he looks. In the midst of such despair, he's still…" She shrugged. "A pity…SENKOUKURA! Smash that little white boy with the green ogre!"

Senkoukura aimed a punch at the terrace…but luckily the others were quick. VERY quick.

"**INSONS DRACO!**" Dude shouted.

"**LOA HALA'OLE!**" Riley ordered.

"**HITAMUKINIKIKU!**" Sara called out.

Using these spells of flying, Dude, Riley and Sara climbed aboard their respective partners as they flew off through the air, clutching onto the others. They all managed to land safely atop a nearby beach of New Zealand and took up defensive positions.

"Guys, you gotta split up now!" Nick insisted.

"What kind of friends would we be if we did THAT?" Crystallene asked.

"What would you do if WE weren't here?" Morpholomew laughed.

"You saved my partner. I OWE you!" Dan insisted.

"You're alright." Riley admitted.

"There's only a few minutes left until that BIG THING you talked about in the control room happens, right?" Dude asked.

"And you're not going to let anyone die, remember?" Gantu asked, smiling gently.

"I'm not going to betray anyone anymore!" Trainer shouted.

"You'd BETTER not, or I'll kick your ass!" Kim laughed. "This big dragon ain't so scary!"

"It's time to say "Sayonara, Senorita"!" Spud laughed, pointing at Heatwave.

_"What on EARTH do they think they're up to?"_ Heatwave wondered. _"Even if they DID activate the device that sends Senkoukura back to the future, it shouldn't start up for at LEAST an hour! What's there game?" _

"You stand no chance!" She yelled, pointing at them with her staff. "What "hope" do you sinners think you have against my child?!"

"In 80 minutes, Senkoukura will be sent back to the future!" Nick yelled. "But there's two more minutes to go, and we're gonna rock your world until then!"

"Oh REALLY? HOW?!" Heatwave laughed.

"Cuz they've got FRIENDS!" Ahinahina shouted, scrambling across Senkoukura's leg.

Heatwave spluttered. "Wh-what is this?!"

"Let's ROOOOOCK!" Dude yelled. "GROOVY!" He called out as he and Heartwing rode through the air with Nick and Chopsuey on their back, as Morpholomew took up a fighting position.

"**BANDA DI FRATELLI!**" Spud read out.

WOOSH! Morpholomew produced a large gaggle of clones. Jumping HIGH up into the air, they ran up Senkoukura's leg along with Riley and Auron, who were carrying Sara and Shush.

"This feels WEIRD, you carrying me." Crystallene said to one of the clones.

"HA! Don't worry, he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!" Morph laughed as Senkoukura tried to whack them, his fists swinging left and right and missing.

"C'mon, honey! They're making fun of you!" Heatwave shouted. "Aren't you embarrassed, being looked down on like this?"

"GRRRRRR!!!" Senkoukura growled angrily and began swinging harder and harder. His arms began a blur. The terrace atop his head was shattered, the waves beneath him churned, his long tail whipped the air angrily…but he kept missing.

"HA-HA!" Ahinahina laughed, waving one hand around as he sat atop of one part of Senkoukura's body. "Your aim's AWFUL!"

"…er…do you REALIZE what you're clutching onto?" Crystallene yelled out.

Ahinahina then actually looked down. His eyes widened. With a cry of "ew-ew-ew-ew" he jumped off and swam back to the beach, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

Heatwave suddenly realized that these were diversionary tactics. This wasn't the time to be dealing with such idiots! What if that human had seriously hurt Senkoukura?

"So, you figured it out?" Nick asked, smirking. "TOO LATE! Everyone, back to New Zealand!" He shouted.

They all scrambled through the air, hopping off of Senkoukura as Heatwave frowned. "What are you!?-"

"There's ANOTHER function that I messed with…the control mechanism! I could only get it to work for a short time, BUT…" Nick smirked as they landed back down on the beach.

Senkoukura's wings stretched out and he flew through the air, hovering over a certain part of the sea. He'd moved to the north side of the ocean they were in.

"That dragon may be big, but Earth's a lot bigger!" Chops laughed.

"Senkoukura's wings are going to fail him in three…two…" Nick mouthed the word "one" as Senkoukura's wings stopped flapping and he sank like a stone into the ocean. Or, more specifically…

The Kermadec Trench in the sea north of New Zealand. That "Visitor's Guide to New Zealand" Nick had packed in his backpack had come in handy…as well as Chops giving him instruction on how to understand longitude and latitude.

"You're gonna be spending the next 80 minutes that Senkoukura's still in our time…UNDER THE SEA!" Nick laughed.

"Under the sea!" Spud sang along.

"Under the sea!" Crystallene sang.

"Under-the-sea!" Charlie cheered.

"Baby it's better, down where it's wetter, take it from ME!" Chops sniggered.

"Aw, FUUUU-GLUB…GLUB…Glub…" Heatwave moaned as Senkoukura sank into the ocean.

PLOOOP! In he went. For a few minutes, everyone just stood on the beach, blinking.

"…they SANK…" Ahinahina mumbled.

Heartwing looked sad. He hadn't wanted to KILL Senkoukura…but Nick patted him on the head. "Relax. I read the schematics…he won't drown. He and the experiments inside his body will get sent away to the future…or the lab, if they choose to go THAT way out. Nobody's going to get killed."

"We did it…we…we really DID it…" Gantu realized.

Everyone cheered and laughed, dancing around and whooping up a storm.

They'd done it, they'd done it!

**"HOORAY!!!" **

THWOOOSH!

Heartwing pointed happily at Senkoukura, who had his arms stretched into the air. "Ooh, look, big draggy's celebratin' too!" He seemed to be saying with an expression…

That soon…along with the others…turned to surprise, shock, fear and…confusion.

"He SWIMS?!" Nick gasped.

"GLOOOAAARRRGGH!" Senkoukura called out, floundering about in the ocean.

"…shoulda figured…" Chops groaned. "If he IS Heartwing and Heatwave's son and from the future…what kind of parents would they be if they didn't teach him how to swim?"

Inside of the control room, Heatwave was sweating visibly, gasping. "I'd almost lost hope…" She gasped. "It's a good thing his survival instincts kicked in, or…" She gulped. Then…she frowned angrily as she raised her staff high. "You…little…BEAAAASTS!"

They all heard Heatwave's voice coming from Senkoukura and gasped. "Bitch is back!" Riley frowned.

"No more games!" Heatwave hissed. "You fooled around with me and now you will PAY!" She hissed. "For what you've done, I'm going to PUNISH you…Hawaii is the first target!" She hissed.

"WHAAAA?!?" Everyone gasped.

"I'll make sure the people of Hawaii will be ANNHILATED!" Heatwave screamed in fury. "Senkoukura can swim VERY fast!" She laughed. "And it would take HALF AN HOUR for him to reach Hawaii…and you know what? I think I'll see what other states I can visit after THEY'RE finished! It shouldn't take long!" She laughed. "I won't let them succumb to his will…better they all DIE than to let THAT happen!!!"

"Oh…no…" Nick gasped.

…

…

…

… Lilo woke with a start in the middle of the night. Stitch, who was sleeping nearby, woke up as well, hearing her cry out. "Lilo, what's wrong?"

Lilo clutched her chest. "I feel…a horror…" She said softly. "Something awful is going to happen…something awful has ALREADY happened and it's going to get even WORSE from here…"

…

…

…

… "GO, my child…your destiny awaits!" Heatwave yelled.

Senkoukura took off through the waters of the Pacific Ocean as our protagonists looked at each other.

"We have to get inside of the control room and stop that bitch!" Nick screamed angrily, clenching his fist. "NOBODY gets away with a speech like that…NOBODY!"

"I can help with THAT!" Ahinahina said, smiling. He raised his hands up, body glowing…with a rainbow aura. "It's the only power I have left over…but it will be enough!" He shouted.

They found themselves surrounded by rainbow light as their bodies lifted into the air along with Ahinahina. "My "Psyche" levitation spell remained! I'll use this to get you inside of Senkoukura once more…NOBODY will die today!" He insisted.

"RIGHT!" Chops said, nodding. "NOBODY will die!"

Meanwhile, Heatwave and Spooky were inside of Senkoukura's "brain"…a large area with clear tiles that had display screens hovering through the air. There was a large control panel in front, and the skies were shown above them, clear…for now. In fact, they were INSIDE the red gem on Senkoukura's forehead!

"Will we be out of the deeper waters soon?" Heatwave inquired of Spooky.

"Yes. He'll reach shallower waters in about…oh….ten mintues." Spooky remarked. "Which means they'll be able to catch up…"

"It's alright. I wanted to ask that boy some…questions…" Heatwave said simply, shrugging. "Why not take a break? Go back to your room?"

"…Heatwave…" Spooky intoned. He was sweating slightly.

She looked at him, one eyebrow raised. "Yes?"

"…no…it's nothing." He mumbled.

"Alright. If you're sure." Heatwave said gently, walking off. Spooky frowned slightly.

_"Something is OFF with Senkoukura…I sensed it even BEFORE the seal was broken…" _Spooky thought to himself.

Meanwhile…

"Alright guys, wait for it!" Ahinahina shouted as they zoomed alongside of Senkoukura, who had to turn his head to take deep breaths as he continued to swim. "Wait for it…"

He turned his head AGAIN and…

"GOOD LUCK!" The grey experiment shouted, concentrating and sending them flying into Senkoukura's mouth. He then nodded and flew off…he had to alert Dr. Rupert and Pleakley of what had happened!

Everyone landed inside the mouth and raced towards the area they'd been at before…the region that led to the stomach pit. "If we just go through there we can reach the spine, then head up to the control room!" Nick shouted.

"Not…so…fast." Heatwave whispered as a doorway opened up to the left, catching everyone by surprise.

"What the?!" Nick shouted.

"**MOSTRO DA VAMPA!**"

Heatwave's maw opened and a grinning being made of flame appeared…a horned, nasty, imp-like creature that shot out like her very SOUL was reaching for him! Before Nick could do anything it rushed forward through the air, grabbing him before twirling back…luckily Chopsuey had grabbed ahold of Nick's leg, and so…

TWHOOM!

The doorway vanished into Senkoukura's mouth wall, keeping the others from following. The fiery imp deposited Nick and Chops on the ground as the white orb in the center of Heatwave's chest glowed.

"We don't need anyone…disturbing our talk. Be a dear and cough them out." She told Senkoukura.

"CHA-CHOOOOUGH!"

"WAAAAA!" The others shrieked as they went flying through the air towards the open sea that lay beyond Senkoukura's maw…

…

…

…

… "Finally I can talk to you alone." Heatwave said, crossing her arms. "You're…Nick, am I right?" She inquired. "The partner of 621, Chopsuey. First of all, congratulations are in order!" She did a slow clap.

"Stop…him…Heatwave!" Nick said quietly.

"Not bad, not bad at all for a human…figuring out the encryption key on the device that can send my child back to the future." Heatwave went on.

"STOP…HIM…HEATWAVE!" Nick growled.

"Neither of you are in any position to talk! You've also tampered with the targeting system of Senkoukura. Set it back. NOW." Heatwave demanded, pointing her staff at Nick.

"**STOP**…HIM…HEATWAVE!" Nick demanded.

"Saying such things even NOW? Even though the thought alone is painful, I'm almost BEGGING you to cooperate!" Heatwave hissed, veins appearing on her forehead, throbbing.

"**STOP HIM, HEATWAAAAAAVE!!!**" Nick roared like a dragon.

"YOU'RE **NOT** GIVING **ME** ORDERS, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" She screamed. "You're only a HUMAN!" She snarled. "IF YOU DON'T OBEY ME, IT WOULDN'T TAKE ME ONE MINUTE TO DESTROY YOU!"

"I'd LIKE to see you TRY." Chops growled.

"Well I AM taking REQUESTS." Heatwave sneered. She opened the top of her staff's gem and held it aloft. "ENGORGIO!"

WHOOMA-WHOOMA-WHOOOOM!

A small form that had been atop the gem hopped off and grew and GREW into a human being! A teenager who had the look of one who was experienced in cruelty, with a high school senior jacket, a handsome face and a big smirk.

"About TIME you let me out." He snapped. "I've been waiting for a chance at some actual action…it's CRAMPED in there…"

"Be glad you're still ALIVE." Heatwave snapped. "I could have just killed you and I might eventually if you don't continue doing what I ask!"

"ASK? You stuck me in that orb that keeps me alive and my life force living but only so you can USE me!" He snapped. "You BARELY let me out!"

"Well it serves you right for what you did, Harry!" She hissed.

"Hey, I didn't KNOW she was his wife! And for the record, she never mentioned it!" Harry remarked, rubbing the back of his head. Nick stuck out his tongue in disgust.

"Be a good little boy and give it your all in this next fight…these insects need to be taught a lesson!" Heatwave demanded.

"Save us your lecture and ring the bell, because you're about to be SCHOOLED!" Nick yelled.

"I am NOT letting you get away with what you have planned. It goes beyond the pale!" Chops growled.

"We're going to defeat you with everything we have!" Nick yelled.

"LET'S GOOOOO!" Chops roared, rushing forward…

**Review! And now for another preview of the next chapter!**

**Chopsuey: Holy COW she's strong!**

**Nick: And more importantly, not playing fair! **

**Harry: Oh BOO HOO. Get over it and die!**

**Chops: Nick, be careful, they keep attacking you directly!**

**Nick: I don't care! I'm going to give it my all on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	52. TIGTLW, Pt 2

**CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO**

**不可能なことにがかかりそうです時間****,****パート****2 ****！**

**The Impossible is Going to Take a Little While, Part 2!**

**-------------------------------------------------------------**

Their books glowed. Two foes stood facing each other. An ogre against a devil, a senior against somebody who had yet to ENTER high school. Good and evil. Light and dark. Right and wrong.

It was time to kick ass.

"**ONDATA DI CALDO!**" Harry roared out, raising his book. Heatwave raised her hands and her eyes glinted as she summoned fire around her body, which shot up around her and formed into the triple-headed beast known as Cerberus, which rushed forward through the air at Chops and Nick.

"IMPERIUM!" Nick yelled out as Chops clenched his claws, taking up a defensive stance as the hellhound surged forward…

THUWUDDA-BOOOOOOM!

Flame and smoke rose everywhere, sending sparks flying. The flames hissed as Heatwave peered around. Where did he?

THA-WHOOOOM!

She jumped back just in time as Chops, rushing head-first with Nick holding onto him, shot towards her. Letting go, Nick landed on his feet and frowned angrily as she smirked at them and Chops took up another battle position.

"You think those petty tricks are going to work against me? You'll have to do more than just thinking outside the box to win." Heatwave informed them. "Though at least you'll make defeating you more…INTERESTING."

"Chops, don't let her mind games get to you…" Nick growled.

"I WON'T. There's far too much at stake right now for me to give up here!" Chopsuey insisted, nodding his Mohawked head.

"Fool. I control my son…and all that's INSIDE of him!" Heatwave said as the gem in the center of her forehead glinted in the light. As Chops rushed at her she leapt through the air and the gem glowed, creating a fleshy barrier that sprung up from the ground. "Now let's see you-"

SCHWOOOOORK!

Chops tore through the barrier, a dark glint in his eyes. He rushed forward, claws outstretched as he aimed for Harry, trying to tear his book apart-

THWAM!

Heatwave stopped him in his tracks, holding her staff up and looking deep into his eyes.

"You're only serving to make me even angrier!" She snapped. "You don't stand a chance!"

"WE don't stand a chance?!" Chops laughed. "You're the one who's exerting all her effort just to stop me from pushing you down…and you've used just as much, if not MORE, heart energy as we have!"

"True." Heatwave admitted. "But I'm quite keen…luckily for me I managed to acquire some…tools…that would assist me in a fight like THIS…"

Harry held up a small bottle that was filled with an odd substance that glistened in the light.A needle was attached to an extension at the top, which was jutting out to the right. "This is Epinephrine." Harry informed them. "Or as it's more commonly known, adrenaline. You've seen "Pulp Fiction"?"

Nick's eyes went wide as saucers. "I saw the overdose scene on "VH1"…" He admitted softly.

"Well, adrenaline can provide one hell of a KICK to your body…and, as we've discovered, provide a boost of heart energy!" Heatwave laughed.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Nick said, pouting.

"Oh PLEASE, what are you, twelve-okay, nevermind. _**Screw you**_, brat!" Harry said, holding it to his arm and injecting himself. He released a harsh breath…then grinned sadistically as his book began to glow even BRIGHTER.

"FUUUUUUUUU-UUUUUUUUCK!" Chops shouted.

"**RISCALDARE!"** Harry roared.

Heatwave's body surged with might as flame rose up around her, and THWOOM! Chops was launched through the air as a bulging, frowning giant made of lava with flames poking up from the cracks that were his veins knocked him away with a headbutt.

"Do you understand now?! You can't win." Heatwave informed them, pointing at Chopsuey as his body hit the ground. "Harry!"

"**Accaldato!" **Harry read another spell and this time she flexed her body, and a second maw opened up from her body, appearing on her stomach. Her teeth glinted as they opened wide, and a spear-like drill shot out from the mouth, surging with fire as Chops stood up.

"You're not beating me so easily!" Chops yelled, jumping back up. "TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE COUNTING ON US!"

"**ADVERSOR!**" Nick yelled. Chopsuey thrust his claws down to the ground and a surging green shield shot up, towering into the air as the drill shot forward…

"**PERCUTIO!**" Nick barked out again, as Chops shot the metallic ball into the shield, and the shield sparkled brightly as the drill struck the shield…then shot back at Heatwave, surging with green light.

"You're not the only one with a shield spell." Heatwave informed them, wagging a finger in the air.

"**ARDORE MURO!**" Harry called out as a rounded HEAD with horns appeared, also made of fire, just like Heatwave's other spells. It popped up around of them and engulfed Heatwave and her partner in it's mouth…and the drill struckthe head, breaking into pieces. A few moments later the head vanished, and Heatwave and Harry were revealed to be perfectly fine. Heatwave dusted herself off. "Any more tricks?" She asked.

"**PERCUTIO!**" Nick roared, pointing forward as Chopsuey extended all his arms and formed the mechanical ball trigger. He punched it through the air and it went SWOOSH!

Heatwave dodged to the side and smirked. "You CONTINUE to fight against me?" She inquired. "Do you WANT me to damn you? Then…" A vein popped on her head. "I'LL OBLIGE YOU!"

**"INGOIO FRÀ ARDORE!"** Harry called out.

Heatwave's mouth opened wide and her tongue suddenly split up into many segments, burning with fire and lashing out at Nick. Luckily Chops leapt in the way, arms held up…

Nick gasped as Heatwave's eyes glinted and two tongue segments lashed out, going OVER Chopsuey and aiming at him! He turned away and one struck his shoulder while another hit him in the back. Gasping in pain, he hit the ground. Turning to see Nick knocked down, Chops turned to race towards him and-

THWOOOM!

Heatwave slammed him across the room with a backhand from her staff. Chops flew towards Nick…

Smirking, Heatwave raised her staff and then slammed it down into Chopsuey's back. He screamed in pain as she calmly got off of him and then slammed her staff into Nick. ONCE…TWICE…

Nick screamed in pain as Chops's eyes went wide. Satisfied, Heatwave walked back to Harry, twirling her staff.

"Hmm…it sounds like the human is still BREATHING. Hmm…I thought he'd be dead by now…"

"You…goddamned…coward…" Chops snarled. "First you use a cheap tactic with that adrenaline, then you target my book keeper like that and hit him while he's down…"

"You…WILL NOT…**STOP ME**!" Heatwave hissed at him, veins appearing on her face as her eyes glinted coldly like golden bars.

"Chops…" Nick gasped as he stood up.

"Nick, hold on, I'll get you out of here!" Chops said, running to him. But Nick raised his hand up.

"No! No…we're not leaving…" Nick said. "I…have a plan…" He said quietly. "And we can't run. We CAN'T. I don't care how much I'm hurt!"

"…" Chops stood there, looking at Nick in amazement.

"It hurts worst for me…when I see others crying…" Nick whispered. "Heatwave's…got to be stopped. Here…now. So…"

Even as blood dripped down his back, he smiled. "Don't you give up. We've been through terrible times before, haven't we? This is just another big bad for us to beat…and we WILL win…"

He pointed at Heatwave. "I see our victory, not our loss…we are trying our very best…giving it all we've got without using any shortcuts…we're the good guys, Chops…the good guys always win, no matter how bad the odds!"

"But…you could DIE here…and the odds have never been so high!" Chops murmured, tears springing to his eyes.

"You know I'm honest." Nick said. "Look at me…" He gasped a few times. "I've got…a plan. Let's…save…the world."

Body quivering, Chops lowered his head. "Nick…please…stay strong. Do your best…"

He turned around, screaming as he clenched his claws, rushing forward. "Because I'M going to do my best too!!!"

"Stupid human!" Heatwave snapped. "You're looking a gift horse in the mouth! You should have run while you had the chance! Harry!"

"**CALORE!**" Harry shouted as Heatwave swung her fist, sending a surging hot fist of energy that whizzed at Nick.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM!" Chops screamed, raising his hands up.

"**PERCUTIO!**" Nick cried out as the attack slammed into his stomach, burning him heavily.

Heatwave dodged to the side just as another metallic ball whizzed by her head. "That's a little close for comfort!" She shouted.

"NICK!?" Chops turned his head.

"Don't…worry about me!" Nick shouted. "GOOOO!"

"How SWEET!"Heatwave crooned. "But futile…just die, child!"

"**PERCUTIO!" **

"**CALORE!**"

Another dodge. Another hard strike to Nick's body.

"YOU COWARDS!!!" Chops screamed. "I'M YOUR FOE, I'M THE ONE WHO'S FACING YOU, NOT A HUMAN PUP! LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!"

"Aw, but where's the fun in that?" Harry snickered. "He brought it on himself when he took us on!"

"**CALORE!**"

"**PERCUTIO!"**

Nick was reaching a point where his vision was swimming in and out, the burning, stinging pain that had been filling his body was turning into horrid numbness. But he couldn't see a fight…he could only see himself…

_"Grandpa, tell me more stories…"_

_"Of course! You see, there I was, surrounded by fiddy men! And they were ANGRY…"_

"**CALORE!"**

A reflex, nothing more…

**"PERCUTIO!"**

_"Wow, David sent me a letter? Dear Nick, I don't know if you wanna trade it in or anything, but I got you that "Icehouse" CD you mentioned in your last letter". Oh…wow…"_

"**CALORE!"**

**"PERCUTIO!"**

_"Aloha Nick! Did it turn out okay?"_

_"Yep!" They've decided to give it another try! A victory for love and hard work!"_

_…Lilo…_

Nick felt the weight of his mood necklace increase as the little thing shone. Tears dribbled down his cheeks as it swung left and right.

"Lilo…I'm sorry…I can't keep my promise…I can't bring it back…"

"**MOSTRO DA VAMPA!**"

The horned beast of flame that had snagged him before and drawn him into the room rushed forward, aiming to slam into him full force. Nick pulled the book behind him once again and muttered "**PERCUTIO" **as the tears continued to fall. Even as the attack slammed into him and smoke arose around his scorched and battered body he didn't feel it…

"How PATHETIC!" Harry laughed. "Your attacks keep missing! That is, unless you're TRYING to hit the ground!"

"NIIIIIICK!" Chops screamed.

"You're STILL alive?!" Heatwave looked very impressed. "I suppose I'll have to try a BIGGER attack." She clenched her fist. "Harry-"

SCHLAMP!

She screamed as Chopsuey suddenly got ahold of her arm. Slamming her into the gram, Chops's tear-filled eyes narrowed at her.

"**Percutio**…" Nick whispered.

SCHWOOMP!

The metallic ball was thrust into her head and for a moment she quivered in pain and discomfort before finally throwing Chops off of her back.

"Nick…NICK!" Chops gasped as he leapt back, hands going to his mouth. No, please, don't be DEAD…

"_Heatwave…you're forgetting…Senkoukura is ALIVE…all of those attacks can never really MISS…" _Nick thought. _"Because they are all touching a living machine of sorts…and that makes them all on target. It's almost exactly like when we fought against Jumby…those mirrors…or against Dan…"_

Nick felt more tears slip down his cheek. _"Kim…Trainer…Heartwing…Dude…Sara…Shush…Yuuku…Crystallene…Morpholomew…Spud…Dr. Rupert…Ahinahina…Grandpa…Mom…Dad…David…Lilo…Chops…everyone…"_

"YAAAAAAAHHH!!!!" Chops roared as he leapt at Heatwave, who jumped up…

Chops slammed his body into the ground and shot his head up, maw opening wide in a pained roar…

"_I love you…"  
_

"**Kimaira…**"

THA-WHOOOOM!

The aura stretched out, blazing like a fire as it raced along the ground from Chops's body, and all of the Percutio's that had been shot out connected, forming a star-like pattern on the ground, with Chops in the center. The aura beast rose up into the air, the power from the spells that had struck the points around the room coming together. They were all connected, all their stored-up power rushing to the center of the room through a single conduit…Chopsuey, who was looking up at Heatwave. Now a THRONG of Kimaira spells shot up through the air at the villainess…

"Oh…MY!" Heatwave gasped. "HARRY!" She screamed.

"**ONDATA DI CALDO!**" Harry yelled out quickly.

The Kimaira spells soared through the air, roaring and hissing as they raced at the triple-headed dog made of flame. The hellhound's heads snapped open and rushed forward, and with a mighty spray of burning fire and aura sparks, Heatwave's spell and three chimeras made of surging green vanished.

"Where's the other-" Heatwave said, looking around…

She turned her head just in time as the OTHER spells surrounded her on all sides as Harry's eyes hot wide open. "NO F—KING WAY!?!" He gasped in horror.

Their jaws opened wide and SLAMMED shut, blasting her from all sides!

SHAAAA-RROOOOOOHHHHHMMMM!!!

Chops blinked a few times, then clenched his fist and punched the air, grinning happily as blood dripped down the top of his head. "YES!" He turned his head to look at Nick. "S-U-C-C-E-S-S! THAT'S the way you spell-!"

The all-too-still form of his book keeper was there, lying on his side, eyes closed, mouth partially open as if almost trying to get one final word out…

"No." Chops said. "NO."

He ran towards Nick and shook him. "NICK! Nick, get up, we…we won, we…you gotta get up!"

There was no reply. Nick was stock still. And when Chops put his hand on Nick's neck he couldn't hear Nick's heart beating.

"No-no-no-no-_noooo_…" Chops sobbed, his eyes widening as the tears rushed forward, a deathly chill grabbing his heart and squeezing it.

A set of footsteps approaching him from behind. He didn't even look up or turn his head one bit as Heatwave, blood pouring down from the top of her head and one side of her mouth, approached.

"…it seems he has finally ascended to Heaven." Heatwave remarked, looking interested. "Look at that. It so…sad…" She shook her head. "It's really just so SAD…all that effort he put in to defeat me…and in the end, all of that strength was not enough to defeat me. All his best efforts were in vain." She raised her staff and pointed at Chops. "Such is the fate of one who defies one who follows the TRUE path of justice."

"You…MURDERED…a boy…" Chops whispered harshly, his body shaking madly as he clenched his fist so hard blood slipped down. "An INNOCENT boy…" He turned around, fury blazing in his eyes. "You call that JUSTICE?! You…you…"

He jumped in the air. "YOU **BIIIITCH!!!**" Chops screamed, furious tears streaming down his cheeks.

SCWHAM!

Heatwave grabbed him by the throat and glared at him. "It's no use crying, it won't bring your partner back. Just-"

Then she saw it…the boy's book…it was GLOWING.

"…what? Th-that's not…POSSIBLE…" She murmured.

"NICK…IS NOT…DEAD…" Chopsuey whispered. "Because his dream…his desire to save everyone…still lives in ME! And with his dream running through me…I WILL END YOU!" He roared, punching Heatwave so hard he knocked several teeth out, even though she turned her head to the side slightly to dodge the blow. She was knocked back a few feet and got back up just in time to see…

**THWUDDA-WHOOOOOOM!  
**

A fighter in a gi, headband whipping in the air, kicked the door down and Kim, Trainer, Charlie, Dan, Heartwing, Dude, Crystallene, Yuuku, Morpholomew and Spud rushed in, with Sara and Shush waving at Chopsuey. "We're here!" Sara shouted.

"You did THAT to my friend!?" Trainer hissed, clenching her fists. "I'M GOING TO BREAK EVERY FUCKING BONE IN YOUR BODY!!!"

She rushed forward, and Heatwave gasped as the gem on her forehead glowed. "We've got to retreat!" She grabbed ahold of Harry and held her staff up. "ACCIO!"

TWHOOSH!

She vanished in a swirling flash of light, and the others turned their attention towards Nick.

"You gotta help him!" Chops sobbed, the tears still streaming down his cheeks as he turned Nick onto his back. "He's…he's not breathing!"

"Not BREATHING? Jesus H. Christ! **MINISTRO-SOCIUS!" **Yuuku quickly uttered, holding her book up.

"Oh PLEASE let it not be too late!" Crystallene begged, holding her hands above her head, focusing and forming the crystalline javelin. It shot into Nick's still body and they all watched as the healing waters of the spear sank into his body. His burns and bloody cuts healed slowly before their eyes, but when Sara put her head to his chest…

"He's STILL not breathing!" Sara gasped out.

"No…no…" Chops whispered as the others looked on, clenching fits, gritting teeth, tears streaming down their cheeks. "NO!"

Chops banged his fists into Nick's chest. "Damn it! NO, NO, NO! Come ON you…you IDIOT! GET UP!"

Nick's body shuddered as Chops's fists struck him, but he did not move…did not open his eyes…

"God, no…NICK! DAMN IT, NO! You're not supposed to die here…we're supposed to save the world together…you're supposed to help me fight Stitch…" He sniffled. "Don't you break my heart by dying…Nick, you HAVE to wake **UP!!!**" Chopsuey wailed as he buried his face in Nick's chest. "**PLEEEEAAAAAASE!!!"**

His body was so still…so very…very…still.

"_**NIIIIIIIIICK!!!"**_

**Yeah...intense. So intense that I'm not going to give you a preview of the next chapter because I don't wanna give anything away. Just review! **


	53. TIGTLW, Pt 3

**CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE**

**不可能なことにがかかりそうです時間****,****パート****3 ****！**

**The Impossible is Going to Take a Little While, Part 3!**

**--------------------------------------------------------**

There are moments when, after blood, sweat and tears have been shed, you look down at what you've produced and wonder "Was it worth it"?

This was one of those times.

Chopsuey, experiment 621, had tried to stop 593, Heatwave, from destroying Hawaii. His partner, Nick, had done all he could in the fight against her and her partner. And what had they gained?

Granted, Heatwave was badly bruised-up.

But that was it.

And Nick was dead.

Not worth it…had ANY of it been worth it?

"What was the point?!" Dan mumbled. "We tried to save the world and look what's happened. Mr. Moral Compass himself has…has…" He couldn't finish it. "This isn't right."

"He had the strongest heart out of all of us, and now he's…he's GONE…" Kim whispered.

"NO!" Chops screamed, slamming his fists on Nick's chest. "NO!"

"Wh-what are we supposed to do?" Dude asked. "This…this aint't right…"

"We have to keep going…" Dan said softly, looking away. "We have to head off to the control room and stop Senkoukura. That was the plan, right?"

"But…but Mr. Nice…" Charlie whispered, pointing at Nick.

"It's what Nick would have wanted us to do! He would have wanted us to save the world!" Dan screamed back, tears appearing in his eyes. "I didn't want that poor child to die…but we can't do anything for him! We…" He looked down at the ground, then covered his eyes with his arms. "We just can't…"

"We have…we have to have hope and keep moving." Spud insisted. "Dan's right. We CAN'T give up. Nick would want us to keep moving forward, to keep trying."

"This isn't fair…" Rueben said, clenching his fist. "Chops, you shoulda CREAMED that bitch!"

"She CHEATED, didn't she?" Crystallene whimpered. "I KNOW she did, I KNOW she did…"

Heartwing just sobbed, burying his face in his hands and crying as his tail battered the floor.

"He's dead…he's really DEAD?" Sara murmured. "I can't perform last rites unless he's DYING…but I can still pray for his soul…"

"He's NOT dead…" Chops sobbed, raising his fist again, body shaking madly. "You're NOT dead…you can't be! I!"

SLAM!

"WON'T!"

SLAM!

"LET!"

SLAM!

"YOU!"

SLAM!

"DIIIIE!"

THA-WHUNK!

…bump.

Shush's ears perked up. The last tears she had fell down and she beamed, rushing over to Nick, pushing Chops aside and putting one of her abnormally large ears down to his chest and listening. "SHHHHH!" She hissed. "I need to HEAR!"

Everyone took in a breath, eyes widening. Could it be?...

Shush listened intently, eyes narrowing, then closing completely, focusing all her effort on her hearing and…

BUMP.

BUMP.

BUMP.

"Hot Diggity DAMN, the kid's alive!" Shush cried out, eyes widening as she beamed.

"HE'S ALIVE?!" Chops cried out, eyes filling with hope.

"My ears don't lie!" Shush laughed, grabbing ahold of Chopsuey and shaking him. "He's alive, he's alive, he's ALIVE, Chopsuey! You must have jump-started his heart with all that beating you were doing!"

"You big DUMMY!" Charlie said, kicking Dan in the shin, laughing. "He's alright! He's gonna be just fine!"

"He may be alive, but we need to make him better!" Crystallene shouted. "YUUKU!"

"RIGHT! I'M GIVING IT MY ALL! **MINISTRO SOCIUS!**" She yelled out, holding the book high.

Crystallene raised her hands above her head as the shining javelin appeared, glowing more brightly than before. She slammed it back into Nick's heart, and the healing waters bathed over him…and they saw his cheeks flush.

"He's going to be alright, but he needs to get air into his lungs!" Spud said. "Somebody's gonna hafta do mouth-to-mouth!"

SCHMONK!

Everyone gaped as Morpholomew immediately leapt to Nick's side and began administering CPR. The others all fell over on their sides, groaning in agony…save for Chopsuey, who had begun laughing even as the tears fell…but they were tears of JOY now…not sorrow.

"Nick…don't you ever…don't you ever scare me like that. _Never again!_" He whispered.

"Nick's going to be okay." Crystallene said, smiling as Morpholomew stopped giving him CPR. "We just need a place to keep him safe until he can heal."

"Luckily there's a place where he can rest up and heal." Gantu informed them all, raising a digit in the air. "Remember the liver area? That big tank room with all of the smaller tank capsules around it?"

They all nodded and Gantu smiled broadly. "Well as it were, the liver expels poisons and other harmful substances…the capsules in that room are good for healing…I've heard Heatwave likes to take baths in there to relax."

"Well come on, we've got to get moving!" Dude said, lifting Nick up with Spud's help.

"Yeah, we need to smack that b—tch up!" Sara said vehemently.

Everyone looked at her, eyes widening.

"What? There's no commandment that says "Thou shall not kick thy neighbor's ass"!" Sara said, putting her hands on her hips.

…

…

…

…Heatwave let out a yawn as she emerged from the healing waters of the capsule in the liver room, looking herself over. "Ah, that's better…" She remarked in a chipper fashion. "All squeaky clean!"

"Can we get going now?" Harry mumbled. "I'm bored as sin…"

Heatwave tossed him a look as she reached for her staff, exiting the capsule and shaking the excess liquid from her body. "Don't make me use the shrinking spell on you again." She snapped, waving the staff at Harry. "Come on, we must get a move on to the brain!"

Heading to a secret elevator, Harry and Heatwave stepped inside and Heatwave pressed a button against the wall, starting the elevator up. They stood in silence for a few minutes.

_**Tall and tan and young and lovely  
The girl from Ipanema goes walking  
And when she passes, each one she passes goes – aahhhh!**_

When she walks, shes like a samba  
That swings so cool and sways so gentle  
That when she passes, each one she passes goes – oooohhh!

"…"

"…"

"…I hate this song."

DING!

The door opened and they walked across the floor into the open space of the brain room. The skies shone overhead as the various display screens flickered, hovering around the room.

"Well, let's see how close we are to…what the?" Heatwave blinked. "What on Earth? Why are we facing the sky?" She looked at the holo-vid screen and frowned, crossing her arms, then snapped her fingers. "OH! Oh, yes, of course…"

As it were, Senkoukura was swimming on his back. "Doo-dee-doo-dee-doo-dee-dooooo!" He sang as he swam.

"…your son's a-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll eat you. The HARD way." Heatwave snapped.

"You'd NEVER be able to fit me in there!" Harry bragged.

Heatwave tapped her staff. "Oh REALLY?!"

"…"

"Now…WHAT is my son?"

"…a fine specimen of a boy." Harry finished.

"GOOOD." Heatwave said, smirking as she twirled her staff and headed towards the controls. "Now then…if you want to see something interesting, I'm going to have Senkoukura submerge, then come back up and spew water into the air like a whale!"

"Not that that doesn't sound interesting, I'm going to have to interrupt your little plan." A voice spoke.

Heatwave and Harry turned around to see none other than…

Leroy…and Lillith.

"L-Leroy?!" Heatwave whispered.

"Hello…Heatwave. How are you?" Leroy inquired, brushing his hair back slightly as he smirked. "How's your son? Treating him well? I hope so…" His smirk became a grin that was the work of a demon. "I REALLY hope you've been taking good care of him…since he's MINE now."

"How the hell did you not get caught by Spooky's experiment-sensing power?!" Heatwave hissed angrily.

Leroy waved a paw dismissively. "Oh, THAT. It's no big deal…I'm just radar-proof, that's all. Well, unless I CHOOSE not to be." He added. "I'm also skilled in teleportation, which is why I was able to get up onto Senkoukura and to hide myself when you were trying to break the seal before."

"You were HIDING?!" Heatwave snarled. "Where?!"

"Your bedroom." Leroy snickered. "You know I've read your diary!"

"You DIDN'T!" Heatwave hissed.

The red, nasty-little experiment's voice took a high falsetto. "Boo-Hoo, my roommate molested me!"

"Dick!" Heatwave snapped.

"Dyke!" Leroy shot back.

"Hey, it was only ONE time!" Heatwave yelled angrily.

"Ooh, but WHAT a time!" Leroy went on, his voice taking the high falsetto once again to imitate the diary entry. "We made passionate love in the closet as the hum of Jumba's power generator faded into the night!" He giggled evilly. "Dangerous sex, dangerous sex, why ISN'T there a single word for dangerous sex?"

Harry had begun laughing so hard his legs were quivering. Heatwave immediately whacked them out from under him with a quick sweep of her staff and pointed at Leroy, claw extended. "You have ten seconds to get out of here. NOW!"

"Oh. Really? Because I was thinking along the same lines, dear lady!" Leroy remarked.

He clenched his fist and grinned evilly as a dark aura surged around him. Heatwave gasped as she felt the sheer, immense POWER coming from him go through her. Before she could do anything he was rushing forward, paw held up to blast her.

"**PUNCHITO!**"

THA-WHOOOM!

The fist strike hit home and Heatwave went flying into the air, sweating madly. He was so POWERFUL! "HARRY!" She roared out.

"**ONDATA DI CALDO!**" Harry yelled out, fast as he could.

Heatwave launched the fiery imp-shaped spell at Leroy, eyes narrowing. "Eat THIS!" She roared.

Leroy just held up his paw…

BOOOMF!

And stopped the burning beast in it's tracks. Heatwave's eyes bulged wide. "His BARE PAWS…he stopped it with one paw?! Not…not possible…"

"**FISTEN!**" Lillith read out calmly.

Leroy's palm glowed as a swirling surge of red light twirled around his paw, black electricity crackling as it sparkled around it. He moved it up and around, blasting the other spell to pieces…

And then he rushed forward and slammed it right into Heatwave's stomach.

"**SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUHHH!!!!!**" Heatwave cried out as her body slammed into the ground, the spell ripping into her stomach sending blood and pieces of burning flesh flying off. Leroy stepped off her, smirking as she jumped up, eyes turning feral, swinging her staff. "YOU LITTLE MONSTER!" She shrieked.

THWOCKA-CRAK!

A single swipe of his clawed paw and the staff was broken in half. He then leapt into the air, grabbed her head and SLAMMED it into the ground, putting his foot on top of her head and looking down at her with a cruel smirk.

"You piece of trash. Did you honestly think you could wield all this power and not attract my attention?" Leroy inquired. "Now I'm going to use YOUR son for my own will. You're just a bug to me. Nothing more. Nothing less. A pathetic little devil who can't do anything."

"Shut…your FACE!" Heatwave roared, jumping up and throwing a punch at Leroy…

BA-BAM!

A backhand sent her flying through the air. Cheek red hot, body screaming in pain as blood oozed out of her stomach, Heatwave staggered up and the gem on her forehead glowed brightly. "Must…warn the others…" She thought. She took a deep breath. "ATTENTION! LEROY HAS ENTERED SENKOUKURA AND IS IN THE BRAIN! REPEAT, LEROY AND HIS PARTNER HAVE ENTERED SENKOUKURA AND ARE IN THE BRAIN!"

All of her associates, AND our heroes, heard the announcement. Chops's eyes went wide as saucers. "LEROY? He's HERE?! And he…" They narrowed to slits. "He must be fighting Heatwave…"

"They're all going to hear every word…and they're going to hear me BEAT you! And even if I don't win, they're all going to come here and KILL you." Heatwave said, standing back up as she clenched one fist and pointed at Leroy with her other hand. "What do you think of THAT, you red demon!?"

"I expect them to pay close attention…" Leroy said, holding up a single claw. "Because…"

WHOOMP!

He was suddenly ABOVE Heatwave, claw held down at her. "I want them to hear your screams."

And hear her scream…and Lillith's spell-casting…they did. Chops felt a twinge of pity rise in him. Her horrifying cries of pain…

"Dear GOD, he's a MONSTER!" Sara sobbed, covering her eyes as she heard Leroy laughing, a low and guttural sound that quickly became high and cold.

Then they heard Heatwave's words.

"No…I will not give up…I will keep moving forward!"

A shudder went through them all.

Keep moving forward…

"HARRY! USE OUR GREATEST SPELL!"

Harry held the book up, eyes wide with fear. If this didn't work…

"**ARMATURA DEL PURGATORIO!"** He called out.

Right before Leroy's eyes Heatwave underwent a strange change. Horns shot out from out of her hair as her body became larger, and her fingers changed into thick and long white claws. She grew two tails that had sharp spear-ends embedded at the back, glinting black as she stood up, and her muscles bulged as a secondary mouth opened on her stomach, the fanged maw dripping with drool.

**"yOu…WiLl DiE hErE…i'Ll MaKe SURE oF tHiS…"**She roared out in a deep, now-bass tone.

"We've got to get moving!" Kim said to the others. "Come on!" She led the others back towards the area where Eclipse had been, only to find…

He wasn't there. But the bridge leading to where the drill trap had been WAS. How odd…

Heatwave launched a set of claws at Leroy, intending to skewer him, but he leapt up through the air and punched her. HARD. Her form went crashing to the ground, but even then he wasn't finished. He kicked her over and over, laughing madly. "What hope did you think you had?!" He laughed. "YOU? Take over the world?!" His eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms and stepped away from her bleeding, bruised and battered body. "DON'T MAKE ME **LAUGH**."

"No…NO!" Heatwave gasped out. "I…I will not give up!" She yelled. "My future self brought Senkoukura here to foil you!" She roared out. "To destroy your plans with his power!"

Everyone who had been listening stopped moving. Their eyes bugged out.

THAT had been Senkoukura's purpose? To destroy Leroy?!

"You become a heartless dictator…you rule so many, committing such cruelty…" Heatwave gasped out. "We in Hawaii couldn't stop you in the future, so we sent Senkoukura to the past, when your near-godly powers weren't fully developed…" She clenched her fist and pounded the ground. "In time you develop an ability to completely bend others to your will, and that's something we COULDN'T stand!"

"So you sent him back in time to destroy me?" Leroy inquired, looking interested.

"Not just that…he would require help…help from the souls of others! The plan was to unleash him on the world to feed upon the population until he'd gained enough souls within him…then he would recreate them with powers…powers like the ones you experiments have! Senkoukura's true strength is being able to give life back after taking it away, and giving power to those who didn't have it before! We would have made all of the Earth immune to your control…an entire world filled with superheroes would have sent you to Oblivion, but…" Heatwave snarled. "Those dumb kids ruined everything!"

Our group of protagonists sweat-dropped.

"My fellow stooges…I think we screwed the world…" Spud mumbled.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiit." Dude moaned.

"I got desperate when they revealed they'd activated the time travel machine…" Heatwave admitted. "And I thought you were still on Hawaii or hiding nearby. I was willing to destroy all of the island to kill you so you won't rule in the future! From what my future self has told me I don't care if a few million die, BILLIONS will be saved!"

"You're so pathetically weak." Leroy laughed. "Your plans have all gone up in smoke because of some kids. I should thank them, they made my job easier…now I won't have to deal with any superheroes trying to stop me." He raised his paw. "Now then…suffer again…"

This time our protagonists didn't have the heart to listen. They turned away or plugged their ears as Heatwave screamed again. Then they heard Leroy's low chuckling as he advanced on her, and her gasps…

"You won't…get away with…with this…" She bubbled out.

"But my dear...I already have…" Leroy whispered softly, reaching for the top of her head.

There was a quick "SLOOK" sound of something being ripped off. A horrid cry. A THUD. Some begging from Harry and horrid laughter…

A CRUNCHING sound, followed by several muffled screams and some other disgusting noises…

Then silence.

The silence seemed to last an eternity, when really it was only five minutes or so.

WHOOOOOOOM!

Leroy appeared in a holographic illusion, the gem embedded in his forehead as he looked down on every single person inside of the Dragon Lord of Flame and Light. He held a near-broken Heatwave by the neck up as he smirked, belly bulging slightly. "Attention! I'M in charge of Senkoukura now." He announced.

"You son of a…" Heatwave gasped out.

"He ATE him!? EWWWWW!" Charlie gasped.

"I need to throw up now…" Morpholomew moaned, rushing to the side.

"You can TRY and reach the brain room." Leroy told the protagonists. "Not that it will do you any good. I'll just kill you. But hey, it's your choice. Of course…" He snickered. "Senkoukura's natural defenses will fight you every step of the way. So good luck with THAT!"

Snickering, his appearance vanished before our protagonists as Leroy tossed Heatwave to the side and turned to look down at the villains. "You worked for the bitch before. Now you work for the KING BASTARD. That is…if you're fond of living. Oh, and Kingpin, if you even TRY to usurp the power I've got or even MENTION it when you're talking to yourself, I'll rip your nose off and eat it."

Kingpin immediately covered his big, round nose and quivered.

"Now get on your knees, put one hand on the floor, and swear fealty to me." Leroy demanded of them.

"What's "fealty"?" Squee inquired.

A lot of the villains blinked stupidly, their human partners included.

_**"Looks like no one knows. Guess this really shows…the sorry that that US education's in!"**_ Lillith sang out, snickering.

"…it means LOYALTY…" Leroy groaned, smacking his palm to his face and dragging it down.

"OH. Uh, Sneak?" She turned to her partner. Sneak had no hands, so he put his head on the ground.

"I'll swear it, no sweat." Flame said, putting his hand on the ground.

"You want my loyalty, you have it." Kingpin said. "Badda-bing, badda-boom!"

"Loyalty? No problem!" Sample proclaimed.

"Since I don't wanna die…let's swear loyalty." Nosy suggested.

"Best thing I've heard all day." Jameson agreed. Both of them got on their knees and put their hands on the ground. "WE'RE NOT **WORTHY**, WE'RE NOT **WORTHY**!"

"Bonnie?" Bonnie's partner Wyn inquired.

"…" Bonnie bit her lip.

"…this will be interesting." Spooky said, bowing his head in allegiance.

"I swear fealty." Jam said, slamming his own paw on the floor. "I shall be your blade!"

"Excellent…" Leroy hissed as he rubbed his paws, the vision vanishing before their eyes. He stood atop a platform in the brain room, sitting atop a throne. "Heatwave said I had godly power in the future…well…looks like I've got it right now, too…and I intend to use it. Oh, it's going to be a FUN day for me!" He laughed.

"…that magnificent bastard has SO got to die!" Chopsuey swore, clenching his fist.

**Wow. What else can I say besides please review? ;)**


	54. TIGTLW, Pt 4

**CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR**

**不可能なことにがかかりそうです時間****,****パート****4 ****！**

**The Impossible is Going to Take a Little While, Part 4!**

**----------------------------------------------------**

Heatwave lay in the corner of the room, her nearly-broken body twitching. Tears dribbled down her cheeks. "You-you…BASTARD…" She sobbed. "Why don't you just burn my book?!"

"Oh, WHERE would the fun be in that?" Leroy snickered as he approached her, putting his clawed paw on her. "I can have such a good time torturing you…having FUN with you…"

"You stay the hell away-MMMM!" Leroy covered her mouth with one hand. "Now, now, stop talking." Leroy insisted. "Just let me move you on your back...I have to be careful not to BRUISE THE MEAT, heh-heh-heh…"

Lillith knew perfectly well that Leroy had left the "audio" system on. Therefore everyone could hear the horrid sobbing coming from Heatwave as Leroy had his way with her…

Sara crossed herself over and over while Crystallene covered her mouth. "AUGH, he's SICK!"

"I'm gonna puke again!" Morpholomew moaned out.

"What's he DOIN' to her?" Charlie asked.

"…we'll tell you when you're older." Dan lied.

"Okay!..." Then Charlie blinked. "Hey, WAIT, I know that tone, you're lying like a dog!"

"What does "trog" mean, anyhow?" Dude asked Gantu.

"It's short for "troglodyte"." The "land shark" explained.

"…OHHHH." Dude said, nodding his head.

All of them were on their way to the bridge that would lead to the small intestine, then down to the stomach. "Funny…HE'S not here…" Kim mused.

"You mean Eclipse? Yeah, where IS he?" Spud wondered.

"HE-HEM…"

**SFX: Creaking of wood**

Everyone slowly turned their heads around to come face to face with Eclipse, who was looking them over and looking very smug. "Helloooooo…"

"Uh…you're not here to give us tea and cookies, are you?!" Morpholomew mumbled, knees knocking together.

"No, I'm NOT." Eclipse laughed. "But I AM going to do THIS…"

SNAP! He snapped his claws and a thick-looking wall began to descend from the ceiling of the room…shutting off their only way to the stomach area! Eclipse cracked his knuckles then took up a fighting stance. "I do hope you'll put up a good fight for me." He inquired. "Perhaps, though, if you get on your knees and beg for mercy, I'll let you go unharmed…"

"We're NOT giving in to you, or to ANYONE! Heartwing…" Dude held up his book. "**INSONS DRACO!**"

THWOOSH! Heartwing was clad in angelic attire. Eclipse cringed and stepped back. "EHHH! It BURNS to look at him!"

Grabbing ahold of one side of the dragon, Yuuku and Kim clung tight while Nick was placed on his back. The others formed a chain-link as Heartwing leapt through the air towards the open doorway that would lead them to the small intestine and then the stomach, BUT…

Nick slipped off and began falling dooooowwwwn…

"OH NO YA DON'T!" Trainer shouted, jumping free of the chain, rushing through the air and landing on the space on the other side of the area even as the wall came down more and more. She the held Nick up, twirled him around, then tossed him back towards the others who were at the doorway. They all caught hold of him, and Kim turned to Heartwing.

"Come on, hop over there and-"

"Kim, no." Trainer said, raising her hand up, shaking her head. "I made a selfish, mistake. I wanted to keep you alive and didn't care if it meant betraying our friends. I HAVE…HAVE to make up for that! I must atone, it's in my Code!"

Trainer looked down at the ground as the wall continued to descend from the ceiling. Soon it would cut off their view of her completely. Her head was kept low, they couldn't see her face, but her tone was almost so quiet it was like she was whispering.

But the words were all too clear to Kim.

"Kim…before this is over, before this ends, I want you to remember something…" Trainer said. She raised her head and tears brimmed in her deep, beautiful green eyes. "I love you…I always will…"

The wall came down more, now it was obscuring her head. "And I'll never forget you. ANY of you."

Now it was obscuring her chest. "It was an honor among honors to fight alongside you…"

Now it was almost going to close. "Thank you for everything…and believe."

SCHA-WHOOOOOOOOOM.

The wall closed, cutting off their view of him as Kim's body shook in sorrow. Eclipse, on the other side, pointed a claw at Trainer, confused. "Why did you just do that? Leaving your trainer behind?"

"I would NOT let you have your way with her if I should lose." Trainer whispered angrily, clenching her fists.

Eclipse looked hurt as he put his claws on his chest. "You WOUND me…" Then he grinned. "But not as deeply as I'M going to wound YOU…" He laughed, taking up a fighting position. "Do you think you can really win?!"

"I don't THINK. I believe with all my heart, I KNOW…that I will win…" Trainer said, taking up her own fighting stance as she narrowed her eyes. "Now let's DANCE."

"No problem…I've got dark powers you have no hope of matching! BEHOLD!" Eclipse raised a claw. "I will now summon a burning fire that will sear your flesh!"

FWOOOM!

A stick figure made of black fire was revealed, hovering in the air over his clawed hands. "…er…" Eclipse sweat-dropped. "That's…the wrong…move…"

Trainer raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, let's try this AGAIN…" Eclipse held up his OTHER hand. "I'll try something else…a summoning of a dark spirit to beat your brains out so I can feast on them!" He flexed his claws, closing his eyes. "Mamma-say-mamma-ma, mamma-co-sa! Mamma-say-mamma-ma, mamma-co-sa! Mamma-"

BOINK!

A duck appeared in his palm. He blinked. It bopped him on the snout, then vanished in a flash of black light.

"…that's…just…sad…" Trainer muttered.

"I KNEW I should have practiced this stuff more often with father…" Eclipse moaned, slapping his forehead.

Trainer rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips. "You have go be the most PATHETIC, IGNORANT excuse for a wyrm I have EVER-"

Well, THAT did it. One thing you did NOT call a dragon was a "wrym". EVER.

"YOU LITTLE SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!" Eclipse howled, rushing forward at her and slashing with his claws as the glowed. Suddenly a dark energy wave tore through the air and she barely dodged to the side in time…

But it cut her cheek. Trainer held it, wincing as Eclipse's dark eyes narrowed. "You're obviously more skilled than I thought…" Trainer admitted.

TWHOOSH!

Before Trainer could do anything, he was rushing straight at her with his winged form. She did a quick tuck and roll to the side, but unfortunately he was faster than she thought…he grabbed ahold of her leg and tossed her in the air, then jumped straight up, fist held aloft, and PUNCHED her straight in the gut. She let out a horrid gasp of pain…

THA-WHOOM!

Another strike sent her flying to the ground. Jumping back, Eclipse then grinned evilly, opening his mouth slightly so the struggling-to-stand Trainer could see black flame building up in the depths of his throat. He let loose a horrid belch of fire that covered her body and watched her stop-drop-and-roll, laughing as she tried to get it out.

"That's it…better roll harder or it'll spread to your BACK!" He crowed.

SWOOOSH! At last it was finally out. She lay there on her back, panting heavily as Eclipse advanced. "Ah, I like it when they like still like that…" He remarked to himself, a dark glint in his eyes.

"PIG…" Trainer hissed, getting up. "Your parents must have been real scum to have raised you to be so cruel-"

SLASH!

Trainer was sent flying as Eclipse's eyes burned with hatred. "SHUT UP!" He snarled. "YOU'RE the ones who were trying to destroy Senkoukura! I heard EVERYTHING! YOU'RE the bad guys here, not me!" He yelled. "And don't…EVER…"

He raised his fist as he rushed towards Trainer again, snarling. "INSULT MY MOTHER AND FATHER!"

BA-BAM!

Trainer hit the ground and was lying there, groaning in pain as Eclipse stepped back and raised his hands above his head, lifting up a LARGE chunk of ground. "I'm going…to CRUSH you…" He hissed hatefully, jumping in the air. "DIE!"

He threw the chunk of ground at her with a snarl and smirked when it collided hard…

But that smirk became a gasp as he saw Trainer was lifting the chunk up with one hand, tossing it to the side. "I've had worse." She remarked softly.

"You LIAR!" Eclipse snapped, jumping into the air and bringing his foot down…

"**BUBISHI!"**

THWA-WHACK!

A HUGE punch sent Eclipse flying back and Trainer gasped at the sight of her pale blue, glowing fist. Turning around, she placed one hand on the wall that separated her from the others.

"…KP?" She whispered.

"I'm here." Kim called back. "I wouldn't leave you. Not now. Not ever."

"OW!" Eclipse stood up from the ground, rubbing his head. "How the heck did you just?!"

"I can hear you beating the tar out of my partner…and YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!!!" Kim howled.

Eclipse raised an eyebrow. "Oh REALLY?" He asked. "Well unfortunately there's one flaw in you plan. You may be able to HEAR me attacking…but you can't SEE what I'm doing! Your spells are useless!" He lunged forward at Trainer, laughing…

Then his eyes widened. UNLESS…

"Straightforward punch!"

"**GENDAI BUDO!**"

BA-BAAAAM! Eclipse's fist struck a swirling black belt shield that blocked him from hitting Trainer, who then kicked him to the side. Snarling, he rushed forward at her again, mouth opening, flame building…

"Fire attack!"

"**KAUNTA-PANCHI!**"

THA-WHOOOMBA! An almost grotesquely large fist knocked Eclipse clear up into the air. Descending down from the uppercut, the dark dragon moaned as he rubbed his cheek. "SO…pretty CLEVER…" He admitted. "But…" He stood up. "I can use tricks too…"

Kim listened again and heard Trainer's voice call out once more. "Straightforward attack!"

"**BUBISHI!**" Kim yelled.

But instead of hearing any sort of triumphant "hi-yah" or the satisfying sound of a "THWOCK", she heard Trainer's scream and Eclipse's laugh before a BANG noise told her that Trainer had hit the wall. Trainer moaned slightly, standing back up…

"Trainer, what went wrong?!" Kim shouted.

"Quick…another spell! The shield, double-time!"

"Right! **GENDAI BUDO!**"

But that only elicited a more horrible response…this time Kim heard Trainer be knocked into the wall over and over and she gasped. "H-how?!"

"Awww…are you SAD, KP?!" A mocking Trainer's voice called back, and it was then that Kim realized what was going on. "That's right, little Kimmy…"

Eclipse smirked as he tapped on the wall, imitating Trainer's voice. "Shave and a hair-cut…" His voice changed back to his own. "TWO BITS…"

"You…you BASTARD!" Kim hissed, banging on the wall.

"You FREAK!" Crystallene shouted as she stood with Yuuku next to Kim, ready to supply Kim with more heart energy via "Ministro Socius" if things got tough. "How DARE you use such a cheap trick!"

"Aw, do I VEX you, pinkie?" Eclipse inquired, smirking as he turned to Trainer, who had blood oozing down from the top of her head, her mouth, her nose and bruises on her stomach and chest. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that you don't destroy Senkoukura…and that you're PUNISHED for lying to me before! You weren't allies at all!"

"Kim…"

Eclipse blinked as Trainer stood up, whispering. "BELIEVE…" She insisted. "BELIEVE…"

"How…touching…" Eclipse admitted. "You truly think that your partner's faith in you will aid you now?" He tilted his head to the side. "But you're in the wrong. There's not going to be any good luck for you. Now stand still…" He raised his claws, rushing at her. "And let me finish you!" He hissed.

"**HEI HU QUAN!**" Kim yelled out.

Trainer's fist glowed and she leapt up into the air, then brought it down, and Eclipse gasped as a burning tiger fist replaced Trainer's own hand…

SWOOOMBAH!

It struck home and he was PUMMELED into the ground by the strike. He held his head and frowned, looking intently at Trainer. "How the HECK did you?!" He hissed as his body ached in burning pain. "She can't SEE you!"

"I don't NEED to." Kim's voice rang out.

Eclipse blinked in surprise. What the devil!?

Behind the wall, Kim grinned as she clutched her book…a bandanna tied around her eyes. "There have been times when I could see nothing, but I FELT her…felt Kim protecting me. And now my heart is telling me exactly what I need to know. Though my eyes are blinded, there's only one thing I can see now…"

Trainer stood up, her hair flowing back as Kim wept joyfully. **"A protecting champion who will stand up for others!!!"**

The dark dragon stood up, dusting himself off as some blood dripped down from his mouth. "Well...if there's one thing I admire, it's somebody who is willing to fight for their beliefs." He cracked his neck. "If you truly think you have the power to defeat me...prove it!" He demanded, stretching his arms wide. "But I will not let you destroy Senkoukura, and I shall avenge myself for the defeat that was handed to me when I first met your friends!"

Trainer leapt into the air, fist held high. "You want to see my power, I'll show you it!!!"

It was an epic fight. Trainer slammed her leg into his head, he went flying, then re-righted himself and leapt back at her, spinning thorugh the air to strike at her with his claws. She did a backflip and jumped through the air, kicking off the wall and leveling a punch at him.

"**BUBISHI!**" Kim yelled out, her hair flowing behind her.

THA-WHAM!

"BURN!"

FWOOSH!

"Come on!" Chops swore, clenching his fist. "You can DO it, Trainer!"

"Kick his ASS!" Charlie yelled out.

"Charlie!" Dan said disapprovingly.

"Sorry!"

"**HEI HU QUAN!**" Kim yelled out as Trainer's fist became encased in burning fire and she struck Eclipse across the chest. He went flying back, then jumped off the ground, propelled by his tail, and then slashed his spiked tail across HER chest.

"Kim's getting tired!" Yuuku realized.

"Don't worry, girlfriend, we've got your back!" Crystallene said, holding her hands up and grinning.

"**MINISTRO SOCIUS!**" Yuuku said, holding the book high...

Trainer held her fist high as it found Eclipse's cheek, while his tail found her stomach and both of them went flying back, panting and heavily bleeding as they looked deep into each other's eyes, dark green into dark purple.

But as Trainer leapt through the air, she continued to think back to those times she'd had with Kim...

...

"_I know, and in this fight, you might get very hurt." Trainer had told her. "But…if you could…I'd…I'd like you to fight alongside me!"_

"Of COURSE!" Kim had said happily, beaming. "We're gonna give it our best!"

...

"**GENDAI BUDO!**"

...

"_Zarpox" held his hand up. One of them placed a steel pipe in his hands. "IF IT'S ME!?!"  
_

"_I'M NOT RUNNING!" Trainer howled as the steel pipe whizzed towards her head…_

...

"Take THIS, girl!"

...

_Then it happened. Trainer clenched her blood-covered fist and they saw the air around her alter somewhat…an aura was coming off from her._

"_You, who fight for the sake of fighting…you couldn't understand. MY resolve is far different than yours." She whispered._

...

"**SHORJINI KENPO!**"

…

"_TRAINER! KIM!" Nick and Chops shouted happily. There the experiment stood with his partner by her side, grinning happily._

"_Leave it to us!" Trainer shouted._

_  
"Power UP!" Kim yelled, punching the sky. _

"_**Fighting love can never die**__!" The two of them yelled. _

...

"You're FINISHED." Eclipse said as he rose up into the air, his body glowing with a dark, venomous aura. "I'll make your end a swift one since you've proven to be a worthy opponent."

Trainer lay on the ground, struggling to stand up...but stand she did. And as Eclipse rushed at her...

"**JEET KUNEDO!**" Kim roared out, tears streaming down her cheeks through the blindfold as her book shone like a burning star.

Trainer jumped through the air, thrusting one fist up as her entire body surged with power, sending forth a brilliant, burning aura that took the form of a martial artist with a karate gi, a flowing, long headband and a black belt. His fist shot through the air as well, and the burning look of righteousness on both he and Trainer's fist made Eclipse gasp...

SHUDDA-WHOOOOMA!

The blow struck Eclipse and his entire body rippled as pieces of scaly skin went flying off, blood splurting out of his mouth. His eyes went almost totally blank as he hit the ground, gasping in pain.

The blindfold fell off as Kim grinned and clenched her fist. "YEAH! THAT'S the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it!"

"How do you like me NOW...bitch!?!" Trainer gasped out in between pants.

**"That's how we ****DOOOOO****!"** Trainer and Kim shouted at the same time.

Eclipse lay on the ground, panting...then he began to laugh horridly.

"Meh-heh-heh-heh...bwa-hah-hah-hah-haaah!" He laughed out as he dug his claws into the ground.

"What's so FUNNY?" Trainer gasped out, trying to catch her breath as she spat some bloody spit out. "YOU'RE the one who's on his back, barely clinging to life!"

"...yeah...but do you know what happens...when an experiment is dealt a very harsh blow?" He inquired. "Well I do...."

He stood up, smirking as his eyes glinted. "You see, when an experiment is dealt a blow that will lead to a slow, painful death, the book acts up to save them...and it automatically burns itself. And you, my dear...are on death's door...and I can smell a spark behind the wall..."

Kim gasped, looking down to see her book's edge had caught fire and was burning away.

"It's a precautionary measure Jumba installed to make sure that experiments don't fight themselves to death..." Eclipse told a eye-widened Trainer. "You look like you've got internal bleeding..."

Trainer gasped as blood shot out from her mouth and she hit the ground, panting before vomiting up a little bit more. Eclipse stood up, smirking at her. "And unlike you...I have a few more tricks left." He said. "You won't be able to stop me from using the technique of the _Amaterasu_ to wipe your little friends just behind the wall out..."

Trainer's eyes went wide. No...not _Amaterasu_...the Black Flame was one of the most destructive techniques ever, combining the elements of Darkness and Flame to form a burning blast that would threaten to consume your very SOUL if you got caught in its way!

"They'll die. Pure and simple." Eclipse remarked. "That's what happens to anyone who tries to destroy my uncle!" He raised himself up as a poisonous flame began to rise around him, curling like claws into the air as a chilling feeling filled Trainer. The black flames rose up like a slowly-growing pillar from Eclipse's body as he smirked. "What do you think about that?"

"I think...you need...to SHUT THE HELL UP!!!" Trainer yelled as she stood up. "I won't let you hurt them! I don't care if my soul is torn to friggin' pieces...I WILL DEFEND THEM TO MY LAST BREATH!"

"Damn it!" Kim shouted, beating her hands against Trainer's burning book. "I can't put it out!"

"Kim, STOP IT!" Yuuku said, pulling Kim's hands away and holding onto them tightly. "I know how awful you feel, but we've got to get away!"

"Sara, use Shush's stretching spell and pull them back over!" Dan ordered.

"TOO LATE!" Eclipse roared. "Die with the flames of _AMATERASU_!" He hissed as he slammed his claws into the ground and his eyes split slightly into a strange design, revealing a "wheel-like" insignia of burning red. The black flames shot out from his body, soaring at Trainer who stood up, stretching her arms as her own blue aura rose up around her like a shining moon reflected in an ocean water.

"YOU...SHALL...NOT...PASS!" She roared at the black flames as their maw opened wide...

Kim screamed and banged her fist on the wall. "TRAINER!!!"

There was a flash of black light...a shockwave rushed through them...

...

...

...

...Kim awoke in a white abyss as Trainer gently leaned down next to her, smiling at her.

"Hey, Kimmy. How's things?" She asked.

"...Trainer...are we in...in Heaven?" Kim asked quietly.

Trainer shook her head. "No, no. Heaven's not this white. We're in Limbo right now. Soon you'll be back in your own body with the others and I will be back at Jumba's lab."

She took Kim's gloves off, then held her hand. Kim felt tears springing to her eyes...Trainer only did that when she wanted to say something incredibly important but incredibly sad.

"Kim...I have never been as happy in all my life as I was during the times we spent together. And I don't think I could have asked for a more wonderful partner." Kim insisted. "You made me laugh, you made me feel happy when I couldn't find anything to smile about, you played fighting games with me, we'd eat meals together and..."

Trainer choked up. "When we held each other our feelings would express themselves a thousand times better than words ever could. But this time I think that five words will be able to express the things I feel better than a THOUSAND hugs that I could give you right here, right now, if I had the time."

Kim stood up as Trainer smiled gently at her, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"_I will __**always**__ love you_." Trainer whispered softly.

KP's eyes brimmed with tears and she hugged Trainer back...

...

...

...

...her eyes snapped open. Crystallene and Yuuku were looking at her, concerned. As she sat up, she rubbed her head and looked at them.

"Are you alright?" She asked them.

"We'll be fine." Yuuku insisted. "We want to know if YOU'RE alright?"

It was then that they heard a clearing of a throat and they turned their heads. Eclipse walked up to them and gently held up Trainer's black belt, putting it in Kim's hand and patting it with his other hand. He nodded at them, then walked off, returning the way he had came, walking across scorched floors.

"...no...I'm not fine." Kim whispered as she looked at the black belt in her hands and tears streamed down her face. She clutched the belt to her chest and smiled gently. "But I WILL be." She added quietly, smiling softly. "I **will** be."

**Chopsuey: Nick's still unconcious!**

**Kim: And Trainer is gone...**

**Gantu: That's not nearly as bad as these foes before us!**

**Farla: How do you like your partners? REGULAR...OR EXTRA CRIPSY?!**

**Rueben: Spooky and Flame and their dumb partners are goin' down next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	55. TIGTLW, Pt 5

**CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE**

**不可能なことにがかかりそうです時間****,****パート****5 ****！**

**The Impossible is Going to Take a Little While, Part 5!**

**-----------------------------------------------**

While Kim was being consoled by Crystallene and Yuuku, Nick was finally resting inside a liver-room healing capsule as Sara, Shush, Dude, Heartwing, Spud and Morpholomew watched him rest, the liquid soaking into his body.

"This will revitalize him." Gantu insisted. "Essentially though his body is well-healed, his heart has reached it's limit, and this will return him to the land of the living with some time. But it would be safe for some of us to go the way of Dan, Auron, Charlie and Dan, they've already made their way towards the room that houses the device which shall send Senkoukura back…"

"Why are they going there again?" Sara inquired.

"Simple, Sara!" Spud explained. "They have to get there before Leroy does. If he actually got inside the room, he might be able to fiddle around and shut the machine down completely!"

"Luckily people can't teleport to the more important rooms. It's blocked off on all sides, save for the doorway. I would know, I heard Heatwave talk about it. You can't just pop up into the brain room, though you can certainly teleport all across it, like Leroy did." Rueben admitted, shrugging.

"Hey guys, sorry we're late." Kim said, walking into the room with Crystallene and Yuuku. "Eclipse put up more of a fight than we thought. He also told us that somebody was coming after us soon, said he could "feel them coming"."

"Why would he do THAT?" Sara wondered.

"Well, I guess he figured we had suffered enough." Yuuku admitted, shrugging. "Say…Kim…that belt looks good on you."

Kim allowed her fingers to touch the black belt she now wore. She nodded. "Heck yeah." She admitted, smirking.

"PROBLEM!" Shush gasped, eyes going wide. "My radar's going crazy…Senkoukura's about to do something big!"

"What could he have left to DO?!" Dude inquired.

Then Spud's eyes went wide. "I think…I know. He's a DRAGON, isn't he? And we've been swimming for what, thirty minutes?"

"Yeah…" Everyone said, nodding.

"Well, if I remember the position we were in and the depth of the ocean waters right, then Senkoukura will be able to reach shallower waters and will get the chance to use those WINGS of his in five…four…"

Everyone gulped.

THWOOOOM!

A few moments later everyone almost fell down as they felt the whole place shudder and a light humming noise filled their ears. "Blast off!" Spud remarked, twirling his cap in the air.

…

…

…

…Dan grinned as he approached the huge doorway that would lead to the time-travel device. "PERFECT." He said. "It's not damaged at all…that means nobody tried to force it down. And…"

He held up a small key. "Look what I snuck from out of a cabinet inside the room?!" He inquired, smirking.

"Isn't stealing bad?" Charlie asked.

"Technically Senkoukura is an illegal immigrant to this timeline, so it's not such a big deal." Dan reasoned.

Charlie just blinked, turning his head to the side in confusion. Dan slapped his face and brought it down slightly. "Right, forgot, you don't know what an illegal immigrant is…look, it's like THIS…"

Auron sniffed the air, frowning slightly. Riley looked down at him as the red dragon's eyes narrowed. "He smells somebody." Riley said. "Someone is behind that door!"

Auron bristled up and nodded. "AUE!"

"Someone VERY dangerous!" Riley added.

"How dangerous could they be?" Charlie wondered.

A deep, chuckling noise was heard from behind the doorways and Charlie shivered. "I take it back!" He shouted. "Uh, the Boogeyman's not REALLY real, is he?"

…

…

…

…Meanwhile, Spud checked his watch. "We've got forty minutes…actually, LESS time than that, since Senkoukura's now FLYING! We've got to get a move on or we're all toast!"

"Look!" Rueben pointed across the room as Sara, Crystallene, Shush and Yuuku pushed the healing capsule Nick was in while Chopsuey had one hand gently placed upon it, looking into Nick's closed eyes.

"Nick"…he murmured softly. Please be alright…"

"What is it?" Morpholomew asked, tilting his head to the side.

"It's an elevator!" Rueben announced. Sure enough, it was a smooth, glass elevator with a control console located at the back of it and a set of sliding doors at the front which were open and inviting. "We'll be able to use that to climb higher up into this big galook!"

Quickly they pushed the capsule inside while Gantu turned to Dude. "Keep your eyes open." He said. "We need to keep watch to make sure nobody catches us by surprise…"

One by one our team of do-gooders headed into the elevator. Soon only Dude, Rueben, Heartwing and Gantu were left, guarding the front entrance of the room. Shush waved her hand. "C'mon in, the elevator's fine…and I think I can turn off any stupid "muzak" too!"

They headed towards the elevator, not noticing there was a strange circular computer with several buttons on the side of the wall near the front door. They were halfway across the room when suddenly the elevator door slid shut…and LOCKED.

"AAA!" Crystallene banged on the glass. "Mother of HELL! What's going on!?"

"Watch your MOUTH!" Sara snapped.

"Not the time, sister!" Yuuku said, turning to Shush. "Did you press a button?"

"No…" Shush raised a digit and pointed at the people who had emerged from the front door entrance. "Th-they did!!!" She whispered in fear.

"Were you thinking of GOING somewhere?" Spooky inquired as he stepped inside with Stephen, his book keeper. The fire-spout-topped Flame walked in as well, his partner stepping inside the room just behind him. Experiment 518 put his paws on his hips, then raised his hands up, shrugging as he closed his eyes.

"You really should have realized that this was a trap." He remarked. "Use those brains of yours, why don'tcha?"

Kim was inside the elevator and she frowned as she looked at him. Something was…off…about him. Had he had a haircut?

"Flame! Spooky!" Leroy's voice spoke up through the sound system. "WASTE them. Leave not even a single scrap."

"You want it, you got it!" Flame's book owner said, taking out a lighter. Her short black hair swerved slightly as she turned to look at Flame. "You're messing with the wrong duo…Farla and Flame have NEVER lost a battle!" She pointed at Dude and Heartwing. "Okay dragon-tamer, WE'LL take you on…"

"Good. I've been meaning to have a re-match with YOU, Spooky…" Gantu snarled, clenching his fist as he held his book up and Rueben took a fighting stance.

"Spooky, why don't you have the honor of doing the first move? I think they want to DANCE!" Farla remarked, holding up her lighter and twirling it around in her fingers, smirking happily.

"Hmm…" Spooky's yellow eyes glinted. "Let's see..." He smirked as he looked over Dude. "What an interesting fear…"

"Then let's get it started…**TERRITO!**" Stephen called out.

Spooky's eyes glowed as his third eye emerged from the middle of his forehead, shining brightly. A moment later BELTS shot out from their shadows, rising up into the air and bobbing back and forth like dancing cobras. Dude felt a shudder of fear go through him…

Then Heartwing tugged on his pant leg. He looked down and nodded.

"Let's ROCK AND ROLL! Stay close to us dues!" Dude shouted. "**TOTUS-INSONS-DRACO!**"

THA-WOOOMMMA! Heartwing's body glowed brightly as his wings became more angelic and delicate than before, as his claws, talons and spikes became white and hair spiked out from the top of his head. His large heart insignia glowed as burning light shot out from around him, dispersing the belts into nothingness.

"Well, well, we got a "holy roller"…" Flame remarked, chuckling as he folded his arms.

"HI-YAH!" Rueben shouted, leaping through the air off of Dude, spreading his arms out.

"**CRESCO!**" Gantu read out.

Rueben's body glowed visibly as extra arms shot out of his body and all of his fists glowed a burning gold. He held all his fists up and fist-shaped blasts of energy sailed forth, curving and molding into large missiles!

"**FORMIDILOSUS!**" Stephen yelled out as Spooky calmly raised one arm and flexed his blobby hand. He grinned as a swirling BLACK HOLE-like opened up!

"Morph was SO scared of Launch's attack…WEREN'T you, Morph?" Spooky laughed.

"Save some of this fresh fish for US!" Farla laughed. "**KASEN!**"

Flame got on all fours and leveled the firespouts on his head right at two missiles that were aimed at him and the spouts shot out a burning meteor, one, two, three…all of them blended together to form one big COMET that blazed at the missiles!

"I'm not out of tricks yet! OPEN SEASAME!" Rueben ordered, snapping his fingers.

TWHOOP!

The missiles suddenly opened up, as small, sizzling blasts of energy soared out in a spreading pattern, raining down at Spooky, Stephen, Farla and Flame, who's eyes went wide.

BUT…the burning comet was still soaring forward. Rueben gasped and positioned himself in front of Dude, Heartwing and Gantu.

"We gotta help the little dude!" Dude insisted.

"Right!" Heartwing said, clenching his fists and holding them to his body. "Ready!"

"**SANCTIMONIA!**" Dude yelled out as Heartwing spread his arms out and a glowing ring of white light arose around them, curling in the air in front of Rueben. It almost looked like they were hamsters in a wheel of light, only instead of running, they were just trying to shield themselves…

Unfortunately the comet was only SLIGHTLY deterred. It struck through the ring of light after some effort and whammed into Rueben as the others dove out of the way. Flame went sizzling up into the air as Gantu helped Rueben to his feet and they all panted.

"Did the others get hurt at ALL?!" Rueben muttered, rubbing his chin as his body ached.

They looked up as the dust was clearing on the other side and saw, sure enough, that there was damage after all to the enemy experiments. There was a visible cut on Flame's cheek. Lava-like blood dripped down to fall with a plop…plop…right onto the floor.

He touched his cheek. "You…hurt me…"

He clenched his fists and his body began to shake. "You IDIOT!" He roared at Spooky. "Your shield spell was supposed to protect us!!!"

"It happens." Spooky remarked.

"Ooh, WRONG answer." Farla laughed. **"MATTAKU-SHOUKYAKU!"** She roared out as she raised her book up.

The firespouts atop of Flame's head BULGED as they shot up into the air, as fireballs swirled together, forming a massive comet that surged with burning flame. The entire room's temperature was spiked…it was like a SUN was aiming for them!...

And flame was shooting out in pillars from the comet. Left, right, up and down…one of them aimed right at Spooky, who turned his head and frowned as it raced at him.

_"What is THIS?"_ He wondered.

**"PINGUESCO!"** Gantu yelled out quickly as he ducked backwards and Rueben's stomach grew to IMMENSE size, shielding them as best he could from the blast while Dude raised his own book up.

**"SANCTIMONIA!"** Dude yelled out, pointing at Rueben as Heartwing leapt forward, clinging to Rueben's back and closing his eyes, concentrating as the ring of light bathed him and Rueben, providing more defense. But the burning flames of the comet grew closer…closer…

It SLAMMED into them with the force of three buses striking all at the same time…and it sent them FLYING as flames shot out through the air. Flame laughed and laughed, throwing his head back as Dude, Gantu and their partners hit the scorched floor, groaning as they stood up.

"RUEBEN! NO!" Crystallene yelled.

"You big bully!" Morpholomew hollered, banging his fists on the walls of the elevator he and the others were still trapped inside.

"L-Look!" Yuuku said, pointing at Spooky. Sure enough, blood dripped down one of his arm to the ground below…it was severely burned. He turned his head to give Flame a death glare at the sight of his arm in such a state.

"Why did you not tell me to move aside?" He inquired coolly.

"Like I really care what happens to you." Flame inquired, waving his paw dismissively.

"What the hell is wrong with you!? We're not supposed to attack each OTHER!" Stephen yelled.

Flame smirked, closing his eyes and looking away slightly as he shrugged. "Tell me something…don't you notice I'm more POWERFUL than I was before?" Spooky's eyes narrowed, his glare becoming even more intense as Flame spoke those words. Experiment 518 nodded and raised his paw up, pointing at Spooky. "I've gained the Blessing! By manipulating the spiritual energy of the Lord of Flame and Light, Leroy granted me power that stupid bitch Heatwave never could have hoped to give me!"

Spooky looked away, a dark look lingering on his face before…he frowned. Then he shrugged and muttered "That's nice".

Flame, however, took this as an insult to the highest degree. He pointed at Spooky. "THAT'S NICE?! That's all you can say!?!" He snarled.

Kim snapped her fingers. "He's changed!" She said. "His fur…it used to be tanned, now it's a darker shade, almost BROWN…and the firespouts on his head are black now…and those…those EYES…"

It was true. His eyes…they had once been black. Now red veins were running through them, coming to a single, glowing point, a glowing white pupil that eerily glowed.

"What has he DONE to himself?!" Spud wondered.

"I'll tell you what he's done…he's sold his soul…" Rueben growled, standing up as his fur bristled. "You're the worst kind of experiments!"

"One without morals, one without HONOR…" Gantu snarled.

"If you think this is a moral universe, I'll show you a picture of dead puppies!" Farla snapped. "This is a war, and we're fighting to win. There's no right, there's no wrong…it's just another battle in a long war to survive!"

"This…isn't a WAR! This is YOU, making a selfish decision to follow a psychopath!" Gantu hissed, grinding his teeth. Suddenly everyone in the elevator felt VERY scared of him. He seemed…TALLER now…and Rueben's body was quivering in fury, a dark aura rising around him. "What he is doing is WRONG, and it's wrong to be following him! You may even be WORSE than him, because you know that what he's doing is wrong and you don't CARE!"

"Just looking out for number one." Farla said, shrugging. "Nobody does anything out of altruism!"

"…I'm going to prove you wrong…" Gantu said. "And I suppose you think the same way, Spooky? Stephen?"

"Don't lump us in with these guys." Stephen snapped. "Just fight."

"_That aura around them…I've only seen it once before…this could be another one of those moments."_ He took up a fighting stance. "All right, fatso and fishy…SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN DO!!!"

Gantu and Rueben raced forward, baring their fangs and teeth as they soared at Spooky, who raised his palms up.

"**OMNIS-TIMOR!**"

Playing on Gantu's fear of harpoons, Spooky's body glowed as a dark purple aura rose around him and a large group of chained harpoons raced out from the aura, aimed at Gantu and Rueben…

Yet they dove through, even though the harpoons cut at their shoulders and their legs and arms they soared through, barreling towards Spooky and his partner!

"What's WITH them!? Aren't they scared shitless?!" Flame snapped. "FARLA!"

"**TOBIHI!**" Farla called out, pointing forward as Flame got on all fours and his fire spouts shot out a solid wall of flame that raced towards Gantu and Rueben, sizzling and sparkling…

But Gantu just clutched the book close to his body and dove backwards through the flames, joining Rueben. They landed on the other side as the wall of flames dissipated into the air and they shook themselves slightly before looking up with a dark glare at the experiments.

"I…can't…STAND…watching this!!!" Chopsuey snarled, banging on the glass. "If I was out there, I'd rip those spouts off that little pyromaniac's head and make him EAT them!"

"Give him HEARTBURN!" Spud laughed.

"Nick's still not healed yet." Dan said, looking down at Nick in the healing capsule. "All we can do is root for them out there…"

"Oh god, don't let the goofus doofus croak…"Sara begged as she looked at Dude.

"**SAIKYO KASEI!**" Farla roared out, holding her book high as Dan snapped his fingers and large pillars of flames raced through the air out of his firespouts, swirling through the air at

"**OMNIS-AUTUS!**" Gantu yelled out as Rueben's body spun around and around at a rapid speed, turning him into a little tornado that went spinning through the air as his body grew larger and larger…

He slammed into the flame pillars, sending the fire spraying left and right as Dude turned to Heartwing. "Get ready, little buddy!"

"Oh please, let them make it through this…" Heartwing begged.

BA-WHOOOM!

Rueben was knocked to the side, his flesh sizzling as Spooky laughed. "HA! What do you think of-"

BA-WHOOM!

Bursting through a pillar of flame, Gantu rushed towards Spooky, fist held high. Spooky gasped and jumped back just in time to avoid his mighty punch, then ducked to avoid a harsh kick. "STEPHEN, QUICK!"

"**METUO!**" Stephen yelled out. Spooky quickly formed two knifes using his powers and swung at Gantu…

"**EXUBERO!**" Gantu hollered out.

BANG! His right arm was knocked to the side as Gantu swerved to the side and grabbed Spooky's other arm. Spooky snarled as he grabbled with Rueben and Gantu, looking deep into Gantu's light blue eyes, which had become cold and feral, almost mimicking the glinting cold black stones that were Rueben's eyes…

He'd only seen this intensity once before…

…

…

…

…it had been dusk…and Gantu had been throttling Spooky.

"YOU TOLD HEATWAVE…" He hissed. "How DARE your master curse us!"

"Just accept it and come with me and my partner." Spooky demanded.

"Like HELL I will, you TROG!" Gantu snapped.

"Then I'll MAKE you!" Spooky snapped back.

"**METUO!" **Stephen exclaimed as Spooky formed a small, handheld harpoon and leveled it at Gantu's stomach…but Gantu was quick too!

"**EXUBERO!**" He yelled, as Rueben's arm shot out from the side, holding Spooky's arm in place.

"Gotcha now!" Rueben laughed. "Howdya' like DEM apples?!"

"I HATE apples." Spooky snapped. "And you don't get my spell…I have TWO arms, in case you forgot!" He clenched his palm as another harpoon formed over his other hand but…

Gantu's gaze stopped him cold. That cold, hard glare like ice…light blue diamonds peering into his soul and tunneling into it. He found himself frozen, unable to move. How COULD he?

"I don't…understand!" Spooky thought, his body shaking madly. "Why am I so afraid? What is it about him that makes me so scared? Why do this alien's eyes stop me in my tracks?"

"You are NEVER going to hurt anyone ever again!!!" Gantu snarled. "I don't care if I DO die, I will NEVER work for-"

"AAA!"

Gantu turned his head and gasped at the sight. Stephen was standing by a tree, holding onto a kid…a gun pointed to the child's head. "If you DON'T join us, I'll…I'll SHOOT this kid!" Stephen got out.

Gantu gasped in horror. He looked at Spooky, then at the kid.

"I'LL SHOOT!" Stephen snarled. "I do NOT want to get on Heatwave's bad side!"

"Well…what will you do?" Spooky whispered softly.

"No…you cowards…" Rueben gasped out.

Gantu felt his body quiver as he let go of Spooky, falling to his knees. "That's better." Spooky remarked. "See? All it took was a bargaining chip." He told Stephen. "Now let's get moving to Senkoukura." He told Gantu and Rueben. "Remember Stephen, if they try anything, shoot the child."

…

…

…

… "That same deep gaze…why does it stop me in my tracks?! Make me…ME, of all people…feel fear?!" Spooky wondered. He growled angrily. "You are NOT going to make ME, the Master of Fear, submit to terror!" He summoned his strength and hurled Gantu and Rueben back, leaping into the air and flexing his body as Stephen roared out a spell.

"**ATROCITAS!!!**"

THA-WHOOOM!

Spooky grew in size as clawed fingers spread out, making him look like "Freddy" from "The Nightmare on Elm Street". His body turned a darker shade of green as spikes out out from the top of his head and his eyes glowed furiously.

"**INCREMENTUM!**" Gantu yelled out as Rueben's body grew in size as well, his muscles bulging, his paws becoming clawed, a set of horns growing from his body as his chest became RIPPED. He rushed forward at Spooky and they slashed and clawed at each other in a mad frenzy…

As Flame raised his arms up and pointed forward. "Farla, could you?" He inquired.

"**YAKESHINU!**" Farla called out.

Flame opened up his maw and two MORE firespouts suddenly emerged from his mouth like a cannon! They shot out two comet-shaped blasts of flame at a disgusted-looking Gantu and Dude…but they were so LARGE, that they would hit Spooky too!

They all jumped back as the fire blasts shot past them, striking the wall and burning them.

"You aim SUCKS!" Stephen snapped. "Stop trying to hurt my partner to get at them!"

"Like I care about him." Flame remarked. "He's always had great power…I was forced to sit in the sidelines for far, FAR too long…and now I finally have a chance to blaze brilliantly…"

He held his fist up. "I will NO LONGER simply be an ASSISTANT to someone who's stronger than I!" He snarled. "I'm just as strong as he is, even STRONGER!"

"What's WRONG with him?" Yuuku asked Kim. "Why is he so obsessed with strength?"

"I think I know…I remember…" Kim said, thinking back to the past.

…

…

…

…all of the "villains" were sitting together, looking out over the sea along with Heatwave on the same night that Trainer and Kim had been forced to join. Flame was the exception, he and his partner was speaking with Trainer and Kim, looking the two girls over.

"Listen, I don't care about your "love"." Flame remarked. "So don't expect sympathy from me." He shrugged.

"Doesn't it bother you that many people could be hurt from this plan Heatwave has?" Trainer asked quietly.

"No." Farla said. "I'm a writer, and I do character studies. Everyone here has dreams and ideals that are FASCINATING. I plan to write a book once this is all over. Being a lackey of this "general" in this new "war" will be an amazing experience to write about."

"And the Lord of Flame and Light…" Flame went on softly. "I've heard rumors. He can give a Blessing of power in exchange for certain…things. I've never been that powerful at all…all I do is spit comets out of my head!" He remarked angrily. "I want to be so strong and powerful that everyone who sees me will cringe in fear…I want to be NOTICED, and this will help me accomplish that goal. And if I take the blessing, I'll be ten times more powerful than I was before…so…" He rubbed his chin. "When should I ask Heatwave for the boost?"

"Didn't she say she wouldn't give it you?" Farla inquired.

"Shut iiiiit!" Flame snapped.

…

…

…

… "I think I know WHY." Kim mumbled. "She could tell he was selfish…she didn't want to give more power to somebody like him!"

"But Leroy's the kind of guy to give the Blessing…isn't he?" Crystallene asked.

"RIGHT!" Flame laughed. "But it comes with a price! Apparently the Lord of Flame and Light's Blessing affects our bodies in exchange for an increase in power! Our bodies become a reflection of our hearts. If a heart's filled with darkness, then…well…" He smirked and gestured at himself. "VOILA. Even my EYES were affected. I can only see in terms of body heat…but I can see YOU, human pups…shining like stars…" He whispered.

"Not that I don't find that fascinating, but HELP OUT!" Spooky snarled as he continued to duel with Rueben.

"Sure, sure, whatever-"

BANG!

He had not been paying attention to Heartwing and Dude, and he was forcibly knocked through the air, barreling through the air to hit Spooky as Rueben and Gantu leapt over to Heartwing, with Dude riding atop the dragon.

"You guys alright?"

Rueben rubbed his cheek as some blood oozed down out of the corner of his mouth. "I will be." He mumbled. "Once we kick their cans!"

"You guys ain't getting it." Dude said quietly, shaking his head. And Gantu and Rueben blinked in surprise.

"Huh?" Rueben asked.

"You don't gotta do this thing alone. We're a team. Partners." Dude nodded. "Now come on. We'll do this TOGETHER." He raised his hand. "Shake on it, dudes?"

Gantu blinked. Then he smiled and gently took Dude's hand in his big, flipper-hand, and shook it. "It's a promise. Together."

"Do you see that resolve?" Spooky asked as he turned to Flame, who was holding onto his cheek as blood oozed down BOTH cheeks now, bruises all over his body. "That desire…that's something you don't have. That is why they are better than you. Their resolve to work together and to protect their friends is what makes them stronger than you, who fights only for the sake of gaining more power. Even I'M stronger than you…" He shook his head in a disappointed fashion. "I fight for the sake of ending this rivalry with Rueben and his partner once and for all!"

"You…YOU!!!" Flame hissed.

Spooky rushed forward at Gantu and Rueben, his Freddy Kruger claws extended as he soared through the air at Rueben, who jumped in the air to clash with him. Then there was a FWOOSH sound and they turned their heads to see…AAA! Flame was attacking them BOTH!

They separated and jumped back as Spooky rounded on Flame. "What the devil!?!"

"I don't CARE what happens to you. If you keep getting in my way…" Flame hissed.

"Oh…so it's going to be like THAT, eh?" Spooky snarled, stepping towards him. "FINE!" He shoved Flame. "You do your thing, I'll do mine!"

Dude and Heartwing blinked. Gantu and Rueben scratched their heads. What the heck?

"FINE!" Flame shouted, punching Spooky back.

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

They both raised their fists…

And then turned towards the others.

"**METUO!"**

"**TOHIBI!"**

Flaming harpoons! Harpoons! ON FIRE! And racing right towards our heroes! Gantu clutched his book to his chest and Dude did the same as they struck home, knocking them through the air as Flame laughed and laughed.

"You're not the only one with sneaky tricks!" Farla yelled out.

"I can't BELIEVE you fell for the "fake arguing" tri-"

"**EXUBERO!**"

BA-BAM! Rueben's fist shot out, whacking Spooky clear in the face and sending him flying back. Gantu and Dude stood back up as Heartwing and Rueben nodded at each other, and then Rueben hopped atop the dragon, who rushed forward as Dude held up his book.

"**TOTUS-INSONS DRACO!**" Dude yelled out as Heartwing's body glowed and his heart insignia glowed brightly.

"You won't hurt anyone EVER ANYMORE!" Heartwing roared out as he raced towards Flame, who quickly positioned himself again to attack.

**"MATTAKU-SHOUKYAKU!"** Farla snapped out as the burning comet strike soared out and Flame laughed as it seemed to engulf the two experiments.

"HA! What do you think of…"

BA-WHOOOOOOOOOM!

The comet split into a hundred pieces, falling down and dissolving as a rapidly-spinning Heartwing was revealed, white light bursting from his body as Rueben clung tightly to him. He'd turned himself into a drill that had gone straight through the comet, and NOW…

"**OMNIS INCREMENTUM!**" Gantu yelled as Rueben's body glowed, summoning an aura beast. Gold fur on a muscular body, fangs like sharp spears…ears swept back from his head with tips like daggers…the beast let out a howling roar and slammed it's claws down on Flame and his book keeper…

THAAAA-WHAAAAAMMMM!!!

"NOOOOOOO!" Flame shouted as his book became alit with flames. He screamed as his body began to dissolve away into nothingness, returning to the lab. As the smoke cleared and our heroes cheered, Farla was revealed to be unconscious on the ground…

And Heartwing had reverted to normal. He lay on the ground, panting. "Ban-ban-ban…" He gasped out as Dude patted him gently.

"We did it…" Rueben said, crossing his arms as he spat out some bloody spit.

"Not a bad job at all…partner." Gantu said, nodding at Rueben. "Now let's go free the others!"

"I don't THINK so!"

They turned their heads in time to see Spooky rush in front of Gantu, spreading out his arms. "Prepare to die…" He hissed. "You forgot about ME…"

"NO!" Rueben leapt up in front of Gantu, arms spread out. "I won't letcha hurt my partner!" He growled, tears streaming from his eyes. "I WON'T!"

"You'd really DIE for him?" Spooky asked. "Well…let's see how tough you truly are. Stephen!"

"**OMNIS ATROCITAS!**" Stephen yelled out.

Spooky blew a huge breath that seeped out of his mouth, forming the same sickly purple/black beast that had been used to break the seal. It's rotted face gazed down, rust and blood over it's body as it's barbed-wire tentacles were raised into the air.

And Rueben was caught inside the cage of the beast, the sickening aura picking away at his body. "Is your loyalty worth it now?" Spooky inquired. "You'll be picked to pieces inside the cage!"

"I…WON'T…LET…YOU…HURT HIM!" Rueben screamed as his flesh sizzled and burnt. He rushed forward…

BA-BAM!

SCLHISSS!

One of the tentacles had shot out and although Gantu had dodged…a burning acid that was coating the barbed wire of the tentacle had struck the edge of his book. BUT Rueben had broken through the cage and had knocked Spooky to the side. Rueben fell to the ground as smoke rose up all around the room, caused by the disgusting beast's demise. The dark smoke choked Gantu's lungs as he waved his hand to get it away from his face.

"RUEBEN!" He called out. "Where are you?"

"**METUO!**"

Gantu found a harpoon's points sticking partially into his neck as Spooky glared at him. "Now the shoe's on the other foot!" Spooky hissed. "You thought you were so big, making me AFRAID!" He screamed. "Now I'LL make YOU afraid! Start begging, you little PATHETIC fish!"

Gantu looked down, his expression hidden as Spooky snarled. "C'mon, land shark! Where's that hate you had in your eyes from before?!"

But when Gantu looked up Spooky saw pity in his eyes. "You're going to leave soon too…" He whispered quietly.

"WHAT?!" Spooky looked down at his hand and saw it was becoming transparent…and when he looked behind him he saw WHY…Stephen had been whacked to the ground and Dude had one foot atop him, holding a book that was alit with flames…HIS book.

"It's over." Dude announced.

Heartwing nodded as he stood near Dude, sticking his tongue out defiantly at Spooky, who sighed. He turned to look over at his partner…then began walking towards him as Dude got off of him and headed over to Gantu, who was on his knees, holding Rueben in his arms. The little guy had a thousand different cuts all over his body from being inside the cage and was coughing…but he looked happy.

"I did good…didn't I?" he whispered quietly.

"You did GREAT." Gantu said softly.

"Stephen…" Spooky said quietly. "I want you to forgive them. Rueben and Gantu."

Stephen looked up. "Wh-what?" He asked.

Spooky looked down. "The truth is…" He sighed. "When I first found Senkoukura using my ability, Heatwave could have attacked me, but instead, she…trusted me. She said she wanted me to help her. Said that I had a sense of honor, that I was reliable. And…and…"

They gasped. Spooky was crying. "Nobody had…had ever said that to me…everyone was always afraid of me…even when I was being nice…" He covered his face. "I had been waiting years for someone to trust me…and then Leroy came and he-he…he took her and…and I saw…"

He looked away. His body was slowly disappearing. "I can't hate these…these idiots anymore. I shouldn't have been hating them at all. I should have burned my book rather than work for Leroy. I did something that's unforgivable…turning my back on the one person who trusted me. And people who do bad things like that should be punished."

He turned to Rueben, who smiled at him. "Hey…you're…alright…" Rueben mumbled out, giving him a thumbs up.

Spooky blinked…then returned the thumbs up. He smiled warmly, and then…like that…

He was gone.

**Chopsuey: What the? Is...is that...it is! Clyde!**

**Clyde: I came ta help you guys! And I'm glad I did!**

**Chops: Because Bonnie is here too!**

**Bonnie: Please...I'm begging you...just let me beat you on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	56. TIGTLW, Pt 6

**CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX**

**不可能なことにがかかりそうです時間****,****パート****6 ****！**

**The Impossible is Going to Take a Little While, Part 6!**

**--------------------------------------------------**

It was a horrible moment for the good guys. Too many of their own kept leaving them. Page had gone. Precious and Snafu had defected to good and had left the world as well. Poor sweet Carmen had been returned. Trainer had been sent back to the lab not too long ago, and now poor Rueben…that lovable fluffy fatty was leaving them, his book burnt.

"Rueben!" Gantu said quietly, lip quivering as he sat on his knees, holding the little guy in his hands. "RUEBEN…"

Rueben smiled. His body was turning into gold specks that were flying up into the heavens, and he felt so WARM being in Gantu's big flipper/paws. "We…had some good times, didn't we?" He asked Gantu as the others crowded around them. Morpholomew was bawling, holding onto Heartwing as the two sobbed into each other while Crystallene tried not to cry.

"Yes, we…we did." Gantu admitted. His voice was breaking.

"We knocked those mooks on their ASSES, didn't we?" Rueben laughed sadly.

"We sure did…" Gantu mumbled, his head hanging low.

"Hey come on…don'tcha go cryin' on me…" Rueben whimpered as he saw his partner was bursting into tears. "Yer…yer gonna make ME cry too!"

Chopsuey walked over to Rueben and held his hand. "Rueben, I…I'm sorry for my treatment of you back in the lab…I wasn't nice enough to you. I thought you were just a coward and that you'd always be one. You definitely changed my mind quickly…and you shouldn't be going, I…" He bit his lip. "I was really starting to warm up to you and your partner…"

"When the kid wakes up…" Rueben asked softly. "Tell him everything…and make sure…make sure you guys stay strong." His body was almost totally gone now. "I wanted…" He sniffled. "To stay longer…to share my sandwich recipes…wanted to set up shop here. This is a nice planet…don'tcha…don'tcha let it get snuffed out…"

He laughed once more…and then was gone. Gantu's large body shook slightly as he wiped his eyes. "…we'd better get moving." He mumbled out. "The child has not yet awoken…and time is wasting."

"At least it can't get-" Yuuku began.

WHOMP!

Spud slammed his cap over the top of her head and she flailed her arms around. "OI! GAJIN! What the heck was THAT for?!?" She screamed.

"DON'T finish what you were going to say! I know for a fact that it COULD get worse!" Spud insisted.

"Yeah, the universe jinxes stuff." Morph admitted.

MEANWHILE, QUITE SOME DISTANCE AWAY, UP IN THE BRAAAAAIN…

Heatwave was strapped to the wall, glaring BALEFULLY at Lilith, who was doing a lovely little dance to a stereo she'd brought…it was QUITE a sexy bump and grind!

"Whatcha gonna do with all that junk, all that junk inside yo trunk? I'M gonna getcha, getcha drunk, getcha drunk off my lady lumps, my humps, my jumps, my lovely lady lumps!"

"Sometimes I find it VERY hard to love you." Leroy remarked as he stood atop a glowing throne, hovering over Sample and Bonnie. Sample looked slightly…DIFFERENT. And that was evident in the way he spoke.

"I'm aware that the "do-gooders" are on their way both to the brain room AND trying to reach the device that's set to send the Lord of Flame and Light back to the future." Sample said. "So I'll go to intercept."

"BOTH of you will go. That door…" Leroy pointed to the right at a plain-looking white door. "Will lead you to a certain special room. THAT room, the one I spoke to you two of while Spooky was fighting with our "uninvited guests"." Leroy frowned. "They're stronger than I thought they were so don't hold back. Oh, and Bonnie…if you DO try and go easy on them our of some "goodness of the heart", you DO know what will happen…"

He smirked down at her, sending a horrid, ice-cold chill rising in her. "RIGHT?"

"Y-Y-Yeah…" Bonnie whimpered.

"Good girl." Leroy crooned. "Now Sample, make sure she stays on the straight and narrow, will you?"

Sample clenched his fist and held it to his chest as his partner nodded. "Absolutely, ABSOLUTELY!" Sample insisted.

Wyn knelt down and put her hand on Bonnie's shoulder as the female experiment quivered in fear. "Bonnie, TRY to relax…"

Try to relax. Not "you'll be home soon". OH if only she could go home…

AND SO, SOME TIME LATER…

"Ho-ly-CA-RAP!" Spud exclaimed.

They'd gone up the elevator to find themselves in a room FILLED to the very top with doors, and DOORS AND **DOORS! **Those above the first row of doors that went around the room were all on ledges with a small set of stairs leading up to the next ledge…it was like some sort of odd HOTEL, this room…

"This is the WEIRDEST room we've been in, and I'm counting the room where the big black dragon tried to drop us into stomach acid, which was pretty dang weird." Spud remarked, scratching his head.

Sample and Bonnie stood there with their partners holding onto their books, Wyn holding a lime green book with Sample's partner, who held a bright orange book. He was a kid with orange hair, a BIG smile and a yellow t-shirt…and Sara recognized him now that he was close and not had his back turned to her.

"KEEF?!" She exclaimed.

Keef waved cheekily. "Hey Sara. How are things?"

"I had THOUGHT that you would know better than to work for someone like Leroy!" Sara said, crossing her arms and frowning. "He is a HORRID being who shall burn in the fires of HELL!"

"Well, er, the thing is, I kinda don't wanna die, so…" Keef nervously shrugged. "I have to do what Leroy says. Besides I ALWAYS stick by Sample. He's my partner, my bestest buddy! Almost as good as Zim was!"

"Didn't Zim take your eyes and do something to them?" Sara asked. "I heard a LOT of rumors…"

"THAT'S in the past. Anyhow, this room's pretty big, huh?" Keef inquired.

"And there are many doors…" Sample added.

"Lemme guess…" Spud asked, grinning. "Is it…OVER 9000?!?"

(Yes, my first, and, I pray to God, my ONLY "9000" reference.)

"…NO. Just 800 doors." Sample added, pointing to the left at one door for an example.

"JUST?!?" Everyone screamed.

"Well then, we'll just try every one until we get the right one!" Dude said, going up to one door and pulling on it. "Hmm, won't come-"

"**SETTOU!**"

BA-BAM! Dude went flying through the air and was lucky that Heartwing caught him in time. Bonnie lowered her finger, which was glowing, and turned to the others as Sample sneered. "Like we're going to LET you open ANY of the doors?" He asked in a condescending tone.

"Sheesh, lighten up." Wyn remarked.

"Oh shut it, you've been pretending to be a woman for HOW long?!"

"I'm not pretending!" Wyn snapped.

"I thought you were a GUY?" Keef asked.

"He…er…she…um…Wyn's…kinda…" Bonnie began.

"**BANDA DI FRATELLI!**" Spud read out as Morpholomew, with a poof of smoke and a big grin, turned into a band of brothers who stood there, looking heroic. "No, you don't hafta worry…we'll let OURSELVES in!"

"SCATTER!" Chops yelled out. "We'll find that door EVENTUALLY!"

Gantu leapt up onto floor number ONE along with Dude and Chops and they all began tugging on the handles. "RRRRR!" He growled. "Why is it not OPENING?!?"

"I can understand it not opening for you or the hippie, but why not for ME?!" Chops growled as he tugged and tugged, head banging back and forth. "OPEN! OPEN! OPEN!"

"**SUCHI-RU! **Wyn yelled out. Bonnie summoned a string of pearls and whipped them through the air. They whizzed through the air, coming off the string and striking the threesome in the back. All of them fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Like I said, did you REALLY think we were just going to LET you open any of the doors?" Sample inquired.

Chops held his head and groaned as he got a good look at the female experiment. What was her name? He'd THOUGHT he'd heard it before, but…

She looked familiar. He KNEW he'd seen her in the lab before, but that was ages ago…

"Shut up, Sample!" The female snapped. "You could stand to treat me like a REAL partner, the way Clyde did!"

CLYDE?! Wait…that meant…

"I KNEW I recognized you!" Chops said, standing up. "You're Bonnie! I have to tell you-"

"KEEF!" Sample snapped, rushing behind Chops, who turned around, gasping…he was QUICK!

"**SALVUS!**"

BA-BAM!

Sample's fist became emblazoned with a strange aura that appeared to be comprised of some kind of mesmerizing aura. But when it struck Chopsuey, a horrid ringing noise rang through the air as he laughed. "My power focuses on SOUND! Howdya like THEM decibels?" He laughed as he raised his other fist.

"**SALVUS!**"

Though a few of Morpholomew's clones leapt in the way to take the blow, this did no good…the attack blasted ALL of them to the ground, and Chops groaned, trying to get to his feet.

"Bonnie…" He whispered. "I have…to tell you…"

"Oh GOD, PLEASE send us a miracle!" Sara begged.

Well…they got a miracle. Suddenly everyone was thrown to the ground and they all groaned in pain as Senkoukura came to a stop and Leroy's swearing could be heard over the intercom.

"What do you (bleep)ing mean he's got (bleep)ing "gastrointestinal problems"?! EXPLAIN IT IN FIVE SECONDS OR I CUT YOUR (bleep)ing (bleep) off you monkey (bleep)(bleep)(bleep)er!!!"

"Swallowing that blue whale whole gave him GAS." Heatwave's voice remarked, and they could hear the happy, smug joy in her tone. "His whole body's now just trying to take a break so it can…do it's business…and there's nothing you can do but wait it out. So much for hoping to arrive at Hawaii early, huh?"

"EWWWWWWW!" Jameson groaned as he covered his mouth. He and Nosy were still inside the same room they'd been in all this time…the dark blue-painted "anus" room, which was FILLING with horrid gas.

"I CAN'T STAND THIS"! Nosy groaned, plugging his fists up his nostrils, his voice thus going squeaky. "JAMESON, PLEASE, a SPELL, I can't WAIT for him to release this stuff on his own!"

"**SAIKYOU-SUPPAI!**"

THA-WHOOSH! Nosy summoned all his strength launched his acidic blast out of his mouth and it struck the far end of the wall, burning a HUGE hole that was bigger than a freight train!

"We're SAVED!" Jameson said as the gas went out through the hole. "I can BREATHE aga-AAAAAA!"

He grabbed Nosy and ducked to the side as something ELSE came in as the gas came OUT…a small plane.

Pleakley grinned as he turned to look at the back. "Thank you for flying Air Pleakley! The captain has turned off the seatbelt sign and you're free to roam about the dragon!"

"Go, go, tout swuite!" Dr. Rupert insisted, waving at two special occupants. "Our friends need you!"

"There's a LOTTA work to do." Ahinahina admitted, nodding his head.

"We can take care of it…right Clyde?" Presley asked, putting his hand on Clyde's head and patting him.

"Time to kick some ass." Clyde said, clenching his metal fist.

Leroy snarled as he faced a diagram of Senkoukura up in the brain room, which zoomed in on the anus room, showing the plane. "A PLANE? They flew a PLANE in here? Who would be so STUPID as to-"

"I DON'T believe it…" Heatwave gasped as she recognized the plane. "Wendy N. Pleakley?" She remarked. "I kept tabs on him…he's HERE?!"

"How many people do you KNOW?" Lilith inquired.

"Lots." Heatwave bragged.

"Who's that coming out of…wait, I know that experiment…that's CLYDE…" Leroy frowned. "That metal arm is unforgettable!"

"You know what else you forgot? To turn off the loudspeaker system." Lilith remarked.

"Oh-" Leroy began, but that was quickly silenced as the loudspeakers throughout Senkoukura went silent.

"They're HERE!" Chops laughed.

Morpholomew danced around. "Oh happy day, the Calvary's arrived!"

"Well, they might be INSIDE Senkoukura…but by the time they reach here…" Sample smirked. "You'll be in a bodybag…"

"I think I liked you better when you were a coward…" Bonnie mumbled.

"ATTACK already!" Sample snapped.

"Fine, fine." Wyn hissed. "**ISHIKAWA-GOEMON!**" He roared out. Eyes aglow, Bonnie raised her hands in the air and pixie dust blended together forming the enormous diamond spell she'd used on Senkoukura's seal. The glowing crystal soared through the air…

"**CONTEGO!**"

BA-BOOOM!

It shattered to pieces as Yuuku pointed at Bonnie. "THAT'S ENOUGH! You're not hurting my friends anymore!"

"I don't want to fight you!" Chops insisted. "You're Clyde's partner, aren't you?"

Bonnie stood stock still, eyes wide. Her mouth fell open slightly.

"He's been looking for you! He told me to tell you he DOESN'T want to be your enemy! He can't steal without you by his side…he really cares about you! Please just stop all this and we can go see him!"

Bonnie bit her lip. For a moment she seemed to want that. She took a step forward…

"Oh no you don't…" Sample whispered, shaking his head. He looked intently at her and a moment later she shivered horribly, clutching her head and gritting her teeth in pain.

"Bonnie?" Chops asked quietly.

"Please…PLEASE JUST LET ME BEAT YOU!" Bonnie cried out.

Meanwhile, Clyde and Presley were atop their motorcycle, talking to Jameson and Nosy while Ahinahina stood nearby, peeling an apple with a single claw.

"You know this whole place, don't you?" Clyde asked.

"Yeah, thanks to Nosy's…nosiness…" Jameson admitted, tilting his head to the side slightly. "We've been able to memorize all sorts of secret passages that go around this dragon we're in, but why do you wanna know?"

"BECAUSE we need to go find Chops and the kid…and ALL of their friends. Where are they headed?" Clyde demanded.

"And I'd advise you to talk…" Pleakley said through the stereo system of the plane, making an announcement to the two. "Grey's hungry enough to have a two-course meal!"

"Yeah, cuz an apple just might not CUT IT…" Ahinahina whispered, slicing it in half before chowing down. "Got it?!"

"We'll lead the way!" Jameson gulped as Nosy leapt into his arms.

"Yeah, being a bad guy doesn't seem so…fun…anymore. Not now, since we've reached the end!" Nosy agreed.

"Good. I also heard Bonnie's here." Clyde added.

"Ohhhhh!" Nosy's eyes widened. "I remember now…you two are quite the item, aren't you?"

BONK!

"OW!" Nosy groaned, rubbing his sore nose. Clyde put his fist down. "Ya didn't hafta HIT me!"

It was true…Bonnie was Clyde's partner. When Jumba had first created them, they'd gone on a mission together…along with Carmen, actually. And they had counted on each other to steal a little something from Jumba's old "alma mater", a little joke on Jumba's part to spite his old, nasty principal.

The two had found out that they were PERFECT for stealing things…and, more importantly, they had traded jokes.

Soon they were laughing it up all the way back to the lab. Bonnie had suggested a drink.

It was like shooting a sitting duck. A little small talk…a smile…and she and he were stuck. Not-so-accidentally in love.

Furthermore, Bonnie was a swell girl who did little "requests" for the other experiments. Whenever Jumba would send her on a mission to some far off planet, she'd have one of her other cousins approach her and ask for her to bring back some souvenirs. At first she only did it to get favors, but then she began to do it because she loved the way everyone would smile, their face brightening like kids at Christmas when she returned with her latest memento. Her and Clyde had a great thing goin'.

"Clyde, snap out of it! You're drifting into La-La-Land!"

Clyde blinked. He'd been so busy reminiscing that he'd forgotten to pay attention to where they were going. "Oh, sorry! Alright, which way now?"

"A left!" Nosy said. "Then a right, then we go straight…"

…

…

…

… "That's it, Bonnie." Sample remarked, smiling. "You're going to take care of our univited guests, aren't you?" He inquired as our protagonists stood back up, their bodies sore from another pearl attack spell.

"Guests? Ooh, can I get milk and cookies for them?" Keef remarked.

"Keef, FOCUS!" Sample mumbled.

"You're a big JERK!" Wyn snarled.

"We oughta" Bonnie began.

Sample glared intently at her. Bonnie shivered horribly, then bit her lip. "Wyn…cast a spell…" She said quietly.

She felt like s—t. These people were Clyde's friends. They were GOOD people. But…but she was so afraid and…

BUDDA-BOOOOOOM!

Sample went flying through the air, hollering as he flew up to the top floor, hit a door and slid down it, moaning in pain.

"UGH…what HIT me?!" He groaned as he stood up.

"They did." Keef said, jabbing his thumb at a motorcycle as Clyde headed over towards Chopsuey while Presley, Nosy and Jameson dismounted from the cycle.

"Chops, Heartwing, good to see you buddies!" Clyde laughed. "Glad yer-"

He stopped. He sniffed the air. That scent…that faint hint of danger intermixed with raspberry…Bonnie-Scent.

He wheeled around and Bonnie and Clyde looked into each other's eyes, black into beautifully blue.

"Bonnie…yer…yer alright and…yer HERE…" Clyde whispered, a tear going down his cheek. "I can't tell ya how long I've been LOOKIN' fer ya…" He took a few steps out as Bonnie smiled warmly, crying softly. "Come on, let's blow this joint and-"

"Uh-uh-uhhhh…" Sample said, jumping down to the ground and waving a finger. "Not so fast, my Bonnie-lies-over-the-ocean!"

Bonnie quivered horridly, then her eyes turned steely. "Clyde just…just GET outta here! I don't wanna hafta waste ya!" She insisted.

"Oh you won't have to…I'll be doing the honors MYSELF!" Sample hissed as he stepped forward. "Keef, book at the ready!"

"You've done SOMETHING to my pardner, and I ain't forgivin' that!" Clyde growled. "Show me what you've got, ya friggin' ugly FREAK!"

"**SALVUS!**" Keef yelled out. Sample lifted his arm up as it became covered in the shimmering sound aura.

"**TOUZUKU!**" Presley yelled as well. Clyde's body surged with power and he ducked in time to avoid a shot from Sample…then he SLAMMED his metallic fist into Sample's face, causing him to skid along the ground and come to a halt some distance away.

"You GO, dude!" Dude laughed.

"Lord, let the bear's strikes be as swift and righteous as his girth is large and smelly." Sara prayed, getting on her knees, crossing herself, then clasping her hands together.

"HEY! If you weren't a nun, I'd SMACK you one!" Clyde snapped.

"Hey, you can't get mad at a nun!" Presley remarked angrily.

"…awww, you're right, she looks too cute in that outfit!" Clyde agreed, nodding his head and sheepishly turning red.

"**SUONO!**"

"**DOROBOU!**"

Clyde and Sample rushed forward at each other, fists swinging left and right, dodging the other man's strikes as best they could. Clyde smirked as he quickly side-stepped to the left, then to the right, dodging another punch from Sample. "HA, is that the best you got?"

BA-BAM!

One hard slam caught him square in the face and a harsh blaring noise filled his ears as Sample laughed. "HA! Howdya like THAT, you stupid bear?"

"Like I said…" Clyde mumbled out, spitting some bloody spit out from his mouth. "Is THAT THE BEST YOU GOT?!"

"**DOROBOU!**"

BUDDA-BAM-BAM!

A flurry of harsh strikes courtesy of Clyde's metal fist struck him and he went soaring up into the air, landing with a THA-THUNK.

"WOAH!" Keef exclaimed.

"YES!" Morpholomew laughed, jumping up and down as he clasped hands with Crystallene, cheering.

_"He…he got so strong…"_ Bonnie thought. _"But…but if I don't take him down, they…"_

She shook her head, blinking the tears from her eyes. _"I CAN'T!"_ She thought.

Sample stood back up, blood leaking down from his nose and the side of his mouth. He glared intently at her.

"You won't FIGHT?" He whispered harshly.

She felt that horrible whine enter her brain and she gripped her head tightly, groaning in pain as she thought back to what had happened not so long ago…

SOME TIME BEFORE SHE'D ENTERED THE ROOM WITH SAMPLE…

"AAAAAA!!!"

Bonnie hit the ground as a horrid white miasma covered her body. Leroy smirked and then began to laugh and laugh as Bonnie's screams rang out over and over.

Soon her screams turned into soft sobs and she shuddered on the ground, unable to move anymore. Leroy turned to Sample, who was standing there, sans partner. He lifted up to Sample's face and opened up the purple nose the mammalian experiment had, placing a small capsule within that looked quite mechanical…it was black in color, and shaped JUST like a musical note.

"This is perfectly in tune with your sound-manipulating abilities. It's synchronized to your body…you will her hurt, her mind and body are ravaged by sound. It will ensure that Bonnie doesn't have SECOND THOUGHTS. Though I doubt she'll want to risk this sort of torture again…"

And he had been right…

"I…I don't want to feel that way again…but…but Clyde…Clyde…" She bit her lip, holding up her paws as she sobbed. "CLYYYYYYYYYYDE!!!"

"**ISHIKAWA-GOEMON!**"

The gigantic crystal rushed forward, summoned by Bonnie's paws. It soared through the air as Clyde turned around, looking at her…

CRACKA-BOOOOM!

TINKLE-TINKLE-TINKLE…

Tiny little pieces of diamond fell through the air as smoke rose up…and when it cleared, Clyde stood there, bleeding down the side of his face. He spat out some blood, then smiled at Bonnie.

"Barely felt a **thing**." He said happily. "I dunno what they got on you, but you ain't got yer heart in this. So don't worry…" He held out his hand, his non-metallic hand. "I'm gonna save yeh."

Bonnie quivered. "C-Clyde…" She whispered softly.

"Hmm...it appears as if I'll have to use "The Blessing". Keef!" Sample called out, turning his head..

Everyone blinked. Suddenly they saw, all at the same time...there WAS something different about Sample!

"Your fur's still orange, but that nose of yours has gone BLUE...and those speakers you got in your ears...now there's one on your STOMACH?!" Chopsuey frowned, then glared angrily at Keef. "You DO know your partner's sold his SOUL, don't you?!?"

"AAA! DON'T EAT ME!!!" Keef begged, covering his head.

"This is only the first stage of the Blessing!" Sample laughed. "Time for Stage TWO!"

"**ISOLAMENTO ACUSTICO**!" Keef yelled out, holding up the bright orange book as it glowed brightly. The warm glow of the light bathed over Sample, covering his body completely and a rays of light shot out from his every orifice, blinding the others for a few moments...

When it faded, he had transformed into a hulking BEHEMOTH. A body that had muscles on the muscles, a jaw that could sink the Titanic, large fangs, claws like thick spears and spikes running up and down his arms and clawed hands, and a set of HUGE wings that had a hundred different loudspeakers running up and down them. His stomach's speaker had grown to immense size along with the ones on his ears, and he licked his lips, revealing he'd gained TWO tongues.

"EW." Crystallene said sagely.

"Amen to THAT." Sara said, crossing herself madly in fear.

"...I think YOU scare me more than that ogre over there does..." Keef said, pointing at Chopsuey.

"I'm NOT a frickin' OGRE!" The long-suffering experiment 621 shouted for what seemed to be the eighteenth time.

"You LIKE punching, HUH? Have A taste of THIS, then, YOU little PEST!!!" Sample roared out.

He raised his fist up intot he air, jumped up, then SLAMMED it down hard on Clyde...

Who's other arm caught it in his palm. He growled furiously as he raised his metallic fist and Presley raised the book.

"**TOUZUKU!**" Presley laughed.

BUDDA-BAAAAM! Clyde sent Sample flying back with a harsh uppercut…but Sample just re-righted himself in mid-air.

"I'M going TO rearrange YOUR face!" Sample laughed. His voice how had a multi-echoed effect to it, it was like he was speaking from a million different places and all very LOUDLY, so loudly that Spud pulled down his cap hard over his ears to shut him up. "And BONNIE is GOING to HELP me…RIIIIGHT?!"

SCHA-WHOOOOM! That horrible noise assaulted her mind and body, even MORE horridly than just a few minutes before. She screamed and held up her paws, fighting back tears as Wyn hesitantly raised the book.

"He's gonna KILL himself if he keeps this up!" Chops exclaimed.

"Hey, Clyde's STRONG!" Morpholomew insisted.

"**ISHIKAWA-GOEMON!**"

KA-KRAM!

This time the gigantic diamond slammed into Clyde's side, and he went flying into a door, bounced off it, then slammed into the ground.

"OOOOGH..." He groaned, standing up as blood leaked out from the top of his head, spurting out like a fountain. "I'm...OKAY!" He said, waving at the others.

"...Chops is right." Yuuku mumbled. "He's gonna die."

Clyde jumped through the air, fist held high as Presley tried to read another spell, but Sample grinned eerily and moved so FAST...his fist slammed into Clyde, knocking him to the ground and before the bear-like experiment could get up...

"**SUCHI-RU!**"

Bonnie lashed out and her string of glowing pearls sailed through the air, striking Clyde's legs and arms. Laughing all the while, Sample raised his fist and slammed it against Clyde over and over, punching left and right.

"HA-HA-HA-HA!" Sample laughed. "I had to give up my conscience and cowardice but it was WORTH it for all this power!" He crowed. "I don't even need any other spells to beat you, I'll bet!"

"Clyde, let us help you!" Crystallene exclaimed as Clyde rolled to the side at last and staggered up. But Clyde just shook his head and waved his metallic hand in the air.

"No…no." He insisted. "Bonnie's MY partner. I ain't gonna let any of you touch her. This is something I gotta do on my own…"

"Clyde…just…" Bonnie mumbled.

They all looked at her as she quivered slightly. "The thing is…I really LIKE you…I…I don't wanna hurt you no more…" She said in her Chicago accent. "Please just…just get outta here…leave…I don't wanna fightcha…"

"I'M NOT LEAVING YOU!" Clyde shouted, slamming his hand on his chest. Bonnie gasped in surprise. "I've NEVER letcha down before! I travelled all over the world lookin' for you…what kind of life could I have if you weren't in it?! We're partners, we're FRIENDS, you and I are as close as close GETS! What…what…"

His body shook as tears streamed down from his eyes and he held out his paws/hands. "What kinda person would I be if I let you down after all the times you've been there fer me? I…I…I think you're…you're somethin' really SPECIAL…"

"Don't be cruel to a heart that's true!" Presley sang out, pointing up into the sky as he posed, his hair bobbing.

"Aw, isn't that just the SWEETEST?" Sample laughed, covering his upper face with one of his massive, clawed hands. "But unfortunately I HATE soap operas like this! Stay still and get SQUISHED!"

"Aw, I thought it was nice…" Keef mumbled.

"Alright. You wanna play it like a soap opera? I don't mind…" Sample snapped his fingers. "Bonnie…make this extra dramatic and destroy your lover, your friend, your PARTNER with your strongest spell! Make it EXTRA tragic!"

Bonnie's entire body convulsed horribly and they all gapsed as her blue eyes turned the color white, her mouth drooling. "What did you DO to her?!" Sara screamed. "You…MONSTER!!!"

"CLYYYYYDE!!!" Bonnie screamed in a mix of fury and sorrow as she raised her paw again…

"**ISHIKAWA-GOEMON!**" Wyn shouted out, a pained expression on the book keeper's face.

Bonnie's paws glowed brightly and the enormous glowing diamond blast soared through the air, BIGGER than before, hissing horribly as electricity ran up and down it, crackling and sparkling. Sample laughed and laughed as it soared towards Clyde...

SHCWA-WHAAAAAMMMM!

TINKLE-TINKLE-TINKLE-TINKLE...

The diamond shattered into millions of pieces that fell through the air like dust as Chops's eyes widened in horror.

"NOOOOO!" Heartwing screamed, covering his mouth as tears streamed down.

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! CUT! AND THAT'S A WRAP!" Sample roared with laughter.

BUT...the dust cleared...and it showed Clyde was still standing. Barely standing, true, knees knocking together, blood oozing down like rivers, his jacket tattered...but...still alive.

"Like...I...said...her heart ain't in it...no matter how powerful a spell...if it ain't got no real HEART in it...it don't mean NOTHING to a guy like me!" Clyde insisted.

"Clyde's not your average bear!" Presley insisted, twirling a cigarette before tossing it to the floor below. "He's not losing to a TOOL like you!"

"Hmm. You know, you talk a good game, but I'll bet you're on Death's Door." Sample said, waving his large hand dismissively as his wings folded and unfolded. "Y'know, there's quite a few ways to beat an experiment: burning their books, killing their partner, KILLING the experiment with an instantly-fatal move OR..." Sample cracked his knuckles. "Beating them into submission so badly that their book's safety mechanism triggers and the book sets itself on fire! And I feel in the mood for using THAT method of beating you!"

"As if you COULD." Clyde whispered, his words harsh and biting, his stare icy and cold. A terrible chill filled Sample as he looked down at Clyde...even though he was smaller than Sample, that gaze...it was HORRID...

"Stop looking at me like that!" The monstrous Sample roared.

"Aw, what's the matter, I thought you weren't a COWARD now!" Presley growled. "No wait, of COURSE you still are, you're using Bonnie to do your duty work!"

"You're not going to beat me because it's not just ME who's fighting you..." Clyde said, clenching his fists and getting back into a fighting position. "It's Bonnie...I can feel her heart inside of me...burning with a fightin' spirit...and together, there's NOBODY who can beat us!"

"Shut UP!" Sample screamed, holding up his claws and aiming to slam them down to slice and dice the annoying bear. He mentally activated the switch hidden in his nose to send the assault back on Bonnie so as to force her to attack...and attack she DID...

"**SETTOU!**" Wyn yelled.

BONKA!

Sample staggered to the side slightly, holding his chin as some blood dribbled down and a gem came crashing to the ground. He turned to the side and frowned as he saw Bonnie point at him. "You leave my partner ALONE...y'hear?!?"

"BONNIE!" Clyde shouted happily.

"Leroy put a little switch in Sample's nose...he activates it and it's like a hundred lousy marching bands are storming around in my head..." Bonnie remarked, folding her arms. "But that pain is NOTHING compared to the pain of attackin' my good buddy Clyde!" She insisted, snarling at Sample, who glared hatefully down at her.

"If you won't be GOOD...I'll MAKE you behave!" Sample roared out.

BA-SCHOOMA! Bonnie's body became encased in a transulecent wave of energy that shot out from her body, and a horrid, ringing, BLARING noise filled the room, coming from Bonnie's mouth as her scream intermingled with that nasty noise. Sample laughed and laughed as the others gasped in horror. "HA-HA-HA! How do you like-"

"Floor...12..." Bonnie managed to scream out. "DOOR...7!"

Chops grinned as he bounded up the stairs to the door and pulled...

And it OPENED. It wasn't locked like the others!

"You little BITCH!!!" Sample screamed.

"Thank you, thankyouverymuch." Presley laughed.

"When me and Clyde get together...ain't NOBODY we can't beat." Bonnie said, spitting at Sample even as the blaring noise aura filled her ears, getting progressively louder and harsher. "I may not be able to pull off a lot of spells anymore, but I am NOT fighting Clyde!"

"You...YOU..." Sample snarled, body quivering in anger, face turning pale with fury.

"I KNEW...I KNEW you weren't one of the bad guys..." Clyde said happily, smiling broadly.

"You little PEST! I'll just wipe you out with our strongest spell, which will be even more powerful with the blessing I've got!" Sample roared out.

"Uh...okay..." Keef gulped, now HE was crossing himself. "**UNDISONUS-SONITUS!**"

Sample's wingspan suddenly closed over him and with a mighty glow, molded Sample something FREAKY. Now Sample's grinning and ugly mug stood in the center of a capsule that had spikes running up and down it, with the wings jutting out the wide sides of the missile he'd become. Loudspeakers ran up and down the missile, blaring obnoxious rap music as Sample laughed and laughed and spikes grew out from the front ring of the missile that surrounded the front point.

Presley raised a thumbs up at his partner. "Clyde, don'tcha worry, I got-"

Then Clyde turned to look at him. Just turned his head. And smiled...a sad, final smile...and with that, Presley understood. He looked away, biting his lip...but he thought the spell, and thought it harder than he'd ever thought anything else.

"_**RUPAN SENSEI!**__"_

Clyde's entire body glowed brightly just as Sample's missile-like form slammed into him with the power of a skyscraper slamming down. Everyone jumped back as a shockwave sent those that didn't DUCK down to the ground. As a dust cloud arose from the carnage, Bonnie held out a paw. "CLYDE!" She screamed. "God, NO!"

The dust began to settle...

And Sample stood there, looking...normal. He frowned as he looked down at himself. "I...reverted?!" He mumbled. "I must have used up all of the Blessing's power..."

"You tortured my partner...you USED her...made her CRY..."

A hard hand, old and angry, came down on Sample's arm as he looked up in terror at Clyde. Clyde had blood dripping down from the top of his head, bruises on his bruises and what clothes he'd had on were GONE. But he was still there.

"Now yer gonna reap the whirlwind." Clyde hissed as he raised his other, non-metal hand up. His body glowed a beautiful, royal blue as his eyes glittered, his fur bristling...he looked noble and proud, like a knight, almost. He clenched his fist...

It was ironic. The fist not made from metal now struck Sample harder than that metallic one ever had. A circular dome of energy arose around Clyde, then contracted into his fist and he was propelled like a JET, his body sending off sparks of light that fell through the air around him as his strike hit home...

With a horrid THA-WUNKA-CRUNCH Sample's nose was caved in, his face puffed up, his lip broken along with several teeth and his body covered in bruises...all due to a single punch. And out from his caved-in nose fell a small, black, note-shaped device that broke when it hit the ground.

THA-WHUMP.

A few moments later, so did Clyde.

...

...

...

...When he opened his eyes, everyone was surrounding him, Keef included, a match held to his now-burning book.

"I shoulda done this when Sample started going mad with power. But you know, you REALLY scared me with that punch..." Keef admitted.

"Don't worry...I ain't doin' it again...cuz I'm headed back to the lab now. I took..." Clyde coughed madly as Bonnie lifted his head up into her lap. "Took a real beatin'..."

"It's not FAIR!" Morph shouted, slamming his blobby little hands into the ground. "We keep losing our friends! We're dropping like FLIES in this stupid thing!"

"I don't know what I'm gonna do without you..." Bonnie said quietly.

"Try and help them..." Clyde insisted, taking Bonnie's little paw...it seemed so SMALL in his own big paw. "A little favor fer an old friend?"

Bonnie laughed. "Sure...anything fer you!"

"I'll help out all I can." Wyn said, taking off the jacket and gloves he'd been wearing to reveal...a very strange look, a blend of pink and blue on his shirt over his baggy jeans and rings on his fingers...and as he reached into his shirt, he took out a necklace and placed it around his neck, the gold cross hanging down.

"Wait...are you...a..." Sara asked.

"Yeah..." Wyn admitted, nodding. "I'm one of THOSE."

"Those?" Chops looked confused.

"Oh my LORD! You're a chick with a d-" Spud exclaimed, eyes bugging out. Luckily Yuuku clamped her hand over his mouth before he could finish.

"No, no, it's not like THAT. I'm actually more like a Mr. Cleaver with a beaver." Wyn insisted. "I can play it either way!"

"You keep a beaver as a pet?" Keef asked him.

"Beaver?" Sara looked confused.

"Uh...we'll explain it when you're older." Yuuku said quickly, turning red in the face.

"Yeah, we are DEFINITELY the weirdest bunch of do-gooders in the world." Crystallene groaned, covering her eyes and rubbing them intensely.

"I gotta tell you, I've been waiting to say this for a long time." Presley admitted, kneeling by Clyde. "You've been a great partner to ME...and I'm sorry you can't stick around, it...it was something special." He bit his lip. "Look at me, ya...ya done sent me to the Heartbreak Hotel!"

"Hey Clyde. Listen, before you go back...a couple things." Bonnie added.

"What?" Clyde asked.

BONK!

Clyde rubbed his sore jaw as Bonnie cracked her knuckles. "That was for taking so long! And THIS..."

She immediately planted her lips on his and gave him a deep kiss. Both closed their eyes as the others smiled warmly at this sight, except for Keef, who found it gross.

"THAT'S for finally finding me." Bonnie added after she was done and Clyde's body began to slowly vanish into nothingness.

"Better late...than never..." Clyde laughed softly. And with that...he was gone.

**Bonnie: What the heck? Not HIM...**

**Chops: It's KINGPIN. Ugh!**

**Kingpin: That's right! Too bad Ace isn't here...I was lookin' forward to beatin' him!**

**Ace: You...beat me? HA! We'll settle this once and for all on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	57. TIGTLW, Pt 7

**CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN**

**不可能なことにがかかりそうです時間****,****パート****7 ****！**

**The Impossible is Going to Take a Little While, Part 7!**

**--------------------------------------------------**

"The good news is, Heartwing's not gonna cry anymore." Dude announced as they continued up a flight of stairs, with Chops, Bonnie and Crystallene holding up the capsule that contained Nick. "The bad news is that's because he's physically unable to cry anymore. There's, like, no fluids left in his body."

Heartwing nodded his head sadly, mournfully. His eyes were now puffy and red, his cheeks glistening as the last of the tears slipped down his scales.

"I got some MORE good news." Keef told them happily. "We were the...what's the term?" He scratched his head. "Oh, right! The "Second Wave", that's what Lilith said. The "First Wave" guys are in the last big room before you enter the brain!"

"We're one room from the brain? YES!" Yuuku said, grinning.

"Wait...what's...that...sound?" Spud inquired as he/she tilted his head to the side in confusion.

They all put their hands to their ears and listened.

Hmm-hmm-ha-hmm, hmm-ha-hmm-hmm...

"I KNOW that tune!" Chops murmured, eyes wide. "KINGPIN!"

"KINGPIN!" Morpholomew cried out in horror.

"KINGPIN INFINITY!" Spud yelled, tugging down on his cap.

"Wait...Kingpin? Oh GOD..." Bonnie groaned. "Can't believe HE'S up next. That stupid rival of Ace has been getting on MY...LAST...NERVE with his singin'. I'm gonna SAVOR an ass-whuppin'!"

They ran up the next flight of stairs and found themselves in a room that had many roses painted all around the sides, and, sure enough, Mr. Parker and his partner were in the center of the room...Mr. Parker sighing as he looked to the side, trying not to let Kingpin's singing get to him.

_**I'll make them do what I tell them, I am of the master raaace!**_

_**Do my dishes, or sleep with the fishes when I punch you iiin the faaaace!**_

"Your songs are an INSULT to classical music EVERYWHERE!" Spud roared out, clenching his fist.

"Let's kick his-" Chops roared out, depositing Nick's capsule to the ground along with the others and rushing forward...

BONK!

"OWWWW!" He roared, grabbing his head and stepping back. "There's some SHIELD up!"

They all blinked and took a good look. Sure enough, there was a glass-like shield erected between them and the smirking Kingpin, who squeaked his nose, the lit a cigar and sat down in a folding chair to watch the scene.

"Cast a spell!" Crystallene suggested.

"**Praesidium!**" Yuuku said, nodding her head as her book glowed. Crystallene swept her arms, tossing a ruby-tinted crescent wave at the shielding wall…

FSSSSH! It fizzled into nothingness.

"I guess we can't affect it. Nothing gets in or out!" Spud said, shrugging.

"ERRR!" Kingpin said, squeaking his nose. "WRONG! And here's the penalty, ya cacasenno!" Kingpin laughed.

"**Valido Sparare!**" Trey read from the book as Kingpin's nose glowed. Smirking, he let out a puff from his cigar before his nose fired off a HUGE sizzling blast of energy…

That sailed right through the shield!

"CONTEGO!" Yuuku called out quickly as everyone ducked to the ground. Crystallene held her paws up and summoned the shimmering shield which glistened as the blast struck hard…and shattered the shield. Luckily though, the attack was stopped and nobody was HURT!

"See, the wall is ONE-WAY." Kingpin laughed. "Ain't it great having a dragon's insides put to work for you? Say, Asian Sensation!" He winked at Yuuku. "You look like an scopata facile! How about you and I get together later for a sveltina?"

"What did he just say?" Yuuku asked Spud, who knew Italian.

"You PERVERT! Vaffanculo, Leccare la figa!" He swore in Italian, shaking his fist.

"Aw, I SO gotta learn another language!" Keef exclaimed while Morpholomew's eyes went wide with shock…HE knew some Italian too!

"Uh, why doesn't Shush do that droppy-into-the-ground thingie?" Crystallene suggested.

"Oh, yeah, the one she used to-" Dude began.

"PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME REMEMBER THAT!!!" Crystallene screeched, jumping on his chest and throttling him EXTRA hard.

"**KIKITORI!**" Sara announced.

Shush sank into the ground as Sara smiled. "And go with GOD!" She added.

FIVE…SECONDS…LATER…

"YEEEOOOOOWWWW!" Shush yelled, popping out of the ground so hard and fast she slammed into the ceiling, then fell back to the ground. She rubbed her sore head and moaned. "It didn't WORK!"

"God does not want us happy." Chopsuey mumbled. "He does not want us DEAD, but he does not want us HAPPY."

"HA! It goes through the WHOLE ROOM, even through the ceilings and floors! Goes on for TWO, actually, and if you want to turn it OFF, ya gotta press that control panel over THERE." Kingpin jabbed his thumb back at a control panel near the door that he was standing some distance in front of along with Trey. "Not that you're gonna last much longer though. In a few minutes, I'm gonna rub ya out, see? RUB ya out!"

He smirked. "Cuz there's nobody comin' to save-"

TWHOOOOM!

The entire place shook. Everyone screeched and screamed as they hit the ground and Leroy's voice yelled from the sound system. "WHAT THE HELL!?!"

"Uh…it appears to be a GRAVITY spell…" Lilith's voice spoke up. "Somebody's forcing us to stay in place!"

"NIGHTWING!" Heatwave's voice said happily. "Eclipse's daddy!"

"Woah, then who's the MOM?" Chops wondered.

"You don't think…" Dude wondered.

Everyone turned to look around at each other. Sara and Keef, who hadn't actually MET Nightwing or his partner, like EVER, blinked. "What?"

"EWWWWWW!" Crystallene said, jumping around. "Icky, icky, icky!"

"That girl dragon is WAVING HER BUTT at me!" Leroy snarled. "Will SOMEBODY get out there and kill them?!?"

Then, suddenly, a door opened to the side of the room and Ahinahina, White, Dr. Rupert and Pleakley wheeled out a large cake. Pleakley was wearing a white outfit with a cap that had a red cross on the top and a temperature-taker in his three-pronged, long-fingered hand.

"What the?!" Kingpin frowned.

"They found a secret passage?" Trey blinked. "Wow, that's cool!"

"Hi there, sailor…no wait, that's not right…um…what was MY line?" Pleakley asked. "Was it that song?"

"No, the OTHER line." White said.

"Oh, right!" Pleakley smiled and turned to Kingpin. "Guess what, big boy? It's your BIRTHDAY! So we gotcha an EXTRA big cake to make you feel alllll better!"

"…my BIRTHDAY?" Kingpin frowned, taking out his cigar. "But that ain't for three months!"

"So what? What's three months between friends?" Ahinahina said as he gestured toward the many candles. "Make a wish!"

Kingpin approached the cake. "Okay…uh…" He closed his eyes. "I'm gonna wish for-"

POP!

**POW!**

Kingpin went flying across the room as the cake splattered all over. Trey gasped as none other than Ace and Hegel emerged from the cake, stepping out of it and looking proud as Ace cracked his knuckles and held up his OTHER fist.

"Hey, make ANOTHER wish!" He joked.

"ACE?!" Chops gasped in surprise. "What are YOU doing here?"

"We brought a LOT of help." Ahinahina explained.

"Ace has had a little…change of heart." Dr. Rupert agreed, nodding his furry head. "When he heard about what was happening, he agreed to help post-haste!"

Chops blinked. "Wait…you? Help ME?!" He didn't understand it. He frowned. "But…why?! I thought you friggin' HATED me!"

"Well…you see…the thing is, I hate HIM more than I have ever hated you." Ace said as Kingpin walked angrily back over to Trey, breaking his cigar into little pieces and tossing them into the air as he fumed.

"Ooh, I wish I'd gotten rid of you all those years ago!" Kingpin snapped.

"**SPARARE**!" Trey read out from the book as Kingpin raised a fist up and brass knuckles popped onto them. He grinned and rushed forward.

"You wouldn't have had the STRENGTH anyhow, remember?" Ace added.

"**RUMAITI**!" Hegel read from his book. "How do you know this meshugah anyhow?"

Ace's own fist became emblazed with a LARGE golden gauntlet and he and Kingpin began slamming away at each other.

"We!"

BAM!

"Go!"

WHAM!

"Way!"

SLAM!

"Back!"

A LONG TIME AGO…IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY…

Jumba patted Ace on the head, cleared his throat, and addressed his other experiments. He was within a large hall at his laboratory, with everyone sitting behind tables and desks, and Ace was at the center of the hall, along with Jumba.

"Now I know some of you think is big, FUNNY joke to laugh at Jumba, ha-ha-ha-ha, LAUGH when he is in shower and you press button on toilet, or rig sinkhead to explode. Well, I have experiment who is now keeping you in LINE! Meet Experiment 262…I have name-ed him Ace." Jumba smiled. "Say, "Hello Ace"."

"Hello, Ace." Half of the cafeteria mumbled while the other half was actually NICE about it.

Well, not exactly half and half. One person just put out his cigar on his desk and frowned. His ears flopping down, the yellow experiment designated 229, AKA Kingpin, sat up.

"THIS guy's gonna keep us in line?" Kingpin mumbled as Ace waved at the others. "His get-up is GAY."

**SFX: Breaking glass**

THAT NIGHT…

"DIE, YOU STUPID LITTLE GOOMBA!!!"

"Ace is playing "Mario Brothers"?" Bonnie asked Jumba as they walked by Ace's room.

"No, Ace is kicking 229'S heinie!" Jumba remarked.

PRESENT…

"I made myself an enemy for life when I opened my big mug that day!" Kingpin snarled, slamming his fist into Ace's stomach and then jumping back.

"You shoulda just APOLOGIZED." Trey said, rolling his eyes.

"To that FRUITCAKE?!" Kingpin snapped. "No way!"

He raised his fist up, smirking as he saw Ace's gauntlet was gone…the spell had worn off before his own! Laughing, Kingpin jumped through the air…

TWHOMP! Ace ducked and rolled, then grabbed onto Kingpin's leg from behind. Smirking, he leapt into the air and slammed Kingpin down onto the ground in front of him, then rose up, crossing his arms.

"I don't NEED too many spells to beat YOU down." Ace said, looking down at him. It was then that they noticed that Ace's glistening red fur was now…brighter than before. And his eyes were glittering with a light they had not ever seen in him. He even SOUNDED a little better, though he had a HUGE scar across his chest that looked VERY deep, like somebody had taken a shovel to his chest!

"How come you sound…nicer?" Chops asked.

"I guess you could say…" Ace shrugged. "I've "seen the light"."

**SFX: Heavenly Chorus**

Everyone turned to see Ahinahina, White and Pleakley all clasping their hands together and harmonizing as Dr. Rupert sniggered madly.

"Hee-hee-hee-hee!" Sara giggled.

Kingpin blinked. "Seen the light?"

BA-BAM!

Rushing forward at an almost impossible speed, Ace slammed his fist into Kingpin's front over and over again. Then he raised his fist up…

"**BANNOU**!"

BA-BAM! Kingpin went soaring into the air as Ace lowered his glowing, gloved fists, smirking proudly as the circular blast kept Kingpin going up…up…BAM! He was now stuck in the ceiling.

But it wasn't over for him!

"**SAIKYO BANNOU**!" Hegel read out, and Ace leapt into the air, grabbing Kingpin and tugged him out, then raced down to the ground, twirling him over his head faster and faster as his gloves glowed.

"PUT ME DOOOWNNN!!!" Kingpin yelled as his own body began to glow brightly.

"Sure!" Ace laughed, throwing him down into the ground. He hit it with a horrid THA-THUNK, then…

BA-WHAM!

"AAAAA!"

Ace slammed down onto his back, then grabbed him and tossed him up…and Kingpin's body was still glowing yellow!

"**ZENNOU**!" Hegel read out, holding the book up as Ace's body spun around and around like a tornado. He rushed through the air, grinning all the while, and his body SLAMMED into Ace's. With a mighty, circular explosion, Kingpin's body went soaring through the air, hitting the wall and sliding down as Ace landed on his feet, crossing his arms and looking heroic.

"You…dirty…stinkin'…" Kingpin got back up, holding up his cigar. "You made me…break my cigar!" He roared out. "TREEEEEYYY!!!"

"NOW you've done it." Trey groaned. "**MAFIOSO**!"

Kingpin's ears flattened and glowed brightly as they shot out towards Ace, who simply shrugged, held out his hands…

THWOMP!

And grabbed his ears.

"Oh NO." Kingpin moaned.

SLAM-SLAM-SLAM! Ace swung UP and DOWN, slamming Kingpin into the ground as hard as he could. Then he twirled Kingpin over his head and tossed him back up in the air, turning to Hegel. "Now, partner!" **ISSHOKENMEINI**!" Hegel yelled out.

"On it!

Ace leapt up through the air, then slammed his fist into Kingpin's gut. All went in slow motion as Kingpin spat out some bloody spit and a tooth and Ace's fist glowed brightly…

"GOTCHA." He whispered.

WHUDDA-WHUDDA-WHUDDA-WHUDDA! Energy rushed up from the bottom of Ace's self as it soared like lightning, snaking around him and going through his fist and into Kingpin's body. Kingpin let out a horrid scream as light poured out from his mouth and his body shook madly…

THWOOM!

He fell to the ground, and Ace calmly stepped away from him, looking over his shoulder at Kingpin's groaning, bruised and battered form.

"You brought this on yourself. You strayed from the path." He said. "The path…" He clenched his fist. "Of TRUE JUSTICE…and thanks to Chopsuey…I was able to SEE that path!"

Chopsuey froze. HIM? Help Ace see the path of "true justice"?

"You…little…" Kingpin began to stagger up. "MOOK…I…ain't…lost…YET!" They blinked in surprise as he got back up. "I am gonna knock your BLOCK OFF! You come into my place, trash me and the room like you own us both, I feel transgressed and violated…"

Trey sighed. "Does that mean?...yep. Okay, SHOWTIME!"

He snapped his fingers and Kingpin's body glowed brightly as he rose into the air. In a flash of light, he now wore a silk hat with a feather sticking out of it, a long, black overcoat and had tommy guns in each hand, which he twirled around, grinning. "LET'S ROCK." He roared.

"So you picked up some new tricks?" Ace inquired, looking over his own shoulder with some slight interest.

"**MOTHER-**"

BUDDA-BUDDA-BUDDA-BUDDA!

"**SANGUN**! Ace quickly thrust his arms up and a red and golden emblem shield appeared, glowing heroically as the bullets ricocheted through the air, off the shield as Kingpin continued to empty his clips into the shield.

"HA-HA-HA-HA!" Kingpin laughed. "I hadta give up somma my intelligence, but it was well worth it for guns that don't run outta ammo AND nice new spells!"

"**SAIKYO MAFIOSO!**" Trey read out as the shield gave way at last and Ace had to leap over the hulking remains. He gasped as Kingpin's body glowed brightly and he swirled his guns around before slamming them together, forming a HUGE bazooka! Smirking, Kingpin fired it off, and a large, rounded-top rocket soared through the air at Ace, hissing wildly…

BA-BAAAAAAAM!

BOOOOOOOM!

Smoke covered Ace's body and everyone gasped in horror…but then they saw him leap right back at Kingpin, laughing.

"He's so…POWERFUL!" Chops gasped.

"Yes, his new attitude came from a fight with 183, Tag…a public property-defacing experiment." Hegel explained. "Oy Gevalt, it was touch and go the whole time!"

QUITE SOME TIME AGO…

The rain poured down. Lightning flashed across the sky, illiuminating the dark forest clearing as a nervous-looking blond-haired young man stood by a raccoon-like experiment with a hook at the end of his bushy tail, a Mohawk on his head, a backwards baseball cap with said Mohawk hair barely sticking out AND little tiny holes in the center of his hand/paws, which would spray art.

"You picked the WRONG DAY to mess with me!" Tag, experiment 183 laughed as Ace jumped into the air at him. Ace flung a punch but Tag's book keeper, Keith, read out a spell quickly.

"**TAKI!**"

FOOOSH!

A burning flame rose from Tag's palm and the fire sprayed at his face. Quickly falling back, Ace backflipped across the ground while Tag got into a battle position and Hegel read out a spell. "**BANNOU!**"

"**ZEPHYR!**"

The two spun rapidly at each other, slamming head-on as lightning split the sky. Coming down to the center of the clearing, Tag smirked as Ace began forcing him onto his knees.

"What do YOU find so funny?!" Ace laughed.

"Y'all forgot…about…mah TAIL!"

SLASH!

Tag jumped back, his tail had found it's mark…and now an ENORMOUS cut was emblazed on Ace's chest, running down from his left shoulder to the right hip. Ace let out a horrid wail as the blood shot out almost like a gushing wave and he hit the ground as Tag stood up, frowning as he crossed his arms.

"That didn't…it wasn't a fatal, instant-send-home move? Gee, sorry…I wanted to end it quickly…" He remarked softly.

"I'm going to-" Ace hissed, standing up…

And then he saw Tag's eyes.

Those eyes…they were deep. Intense…and so much like Chopsuey's had been, glinting like steel, filled with emotion. He couldn't move…

Why…WHY couldn't he move? What kept stopping him?! He was different now…somebody who wouldn't give in to ANYONE! Why were these eyes stopping him!?

Hegel's voice snapped him out of it. "ACE!" His partner yelled. "Don't give up on my now, boy!"

_Don't give up on me boy. _

_Don't give up…_

He **WOULDN'T**!

Before long, Ace was panting heavily, blood leaking out from his fresh wound, but Tag's book had taken a burning blow and he was lying on the ground as his partner Keith held him, begging him not to go.

"But I was finally getting…you can't just GO!" Keith insisted. "Who else is going to teach me to be brave?"

"You ARE brave…" Tag insisted. "You didn't once say we should run away and this was our toughest foe. You know…Ace…"

Tag managed to stagger up, panting heavily even as his body began to fade. "In the beginning of this fight I knew it, y'know…aint' nobody was gonna weep for us…aint' nobody was gonna CARE about us losing because we didn't care 'bout nobody but ourselves. So I started caring about my partner…a lot…and I gotta tell ya, man…"

He smiled gently, closing his eyes. "It's the greatest feelin' in the world…"

And with that, he was gone. And Ace realized he was on his knees, crying, the tears slipping down his cheeks, pouring more heavily than the rain that struck his body over and over.

…

…

…

… "Ace realized that it wasn't until he began to CARE about other people and what happened to them he'd never gain true strength…like the kind you had, which could stop him with a single stare." Hegel told Chopsuey.

"You oughta be DEAD!" Kingpin gasped as Ace kept moving forward. "I keep emptying my clips inta you and you ain't even FLINCHED!"

Ace spat out a bullet from his mouth. "Tastes like lead." He joked.

"St-st-stay away from me, ya FREAK!" Kingpin screamed. "I'll…I'll freakin' KILL YOU! TREY!"

"You want me to use THAT move? I dunno…" Trey mumbled, rubbing his head.

Kingpin could see fire building around Ace.

_**SFX: Koyanisquanti…**_

_**Koyanisquanti…**_

"USE IIIIIIT!" He screamed.

"Okaaaaaay." Trey said, rolling his eyes. "**ULTIMO-SPARARE!**"

Kingpin suddenly had a cord pop out of BOTH nostrils. Pulling on the cords that came out of his squeaky blue nose, his entire body was covered in the cloaked jacket he wore, and when it was cast aside, he was now RIPPED with guns. He had turrets on his shoulders, missile launchers sticking out of his chest, laser eyes…AND as he opened his mouth, a sonic particle cannon shot out, glowing brightly.

"Overcompensating much?" Yuuku laughed. Crystallene slapped her partner's hand.

SHOOMA-SHOOMA-WHADDOOWWWWW! Kingpin unleashed this motherload of weapons upon Ace, who took up a fighting position.

"I shall not back down!" Ace shouted.

Hegel smiled as Ace's body seemed to shine with heroic brilliance. There was a confidence in his voice that hadn't been there before…Ace knew, he KNEW that he was doing the right thing. And he would wear that scar like a medal of honor…

He was something special.

And Kingpin was about to find out the HARD way!

"**SHINJINBUKAI!**" Hegel roared out, holding up his book high.

Ace's body glowed brightly, and it pumped up to three times his normal size! Now he was bigger than a bodybuilder as a HUGE red cape shot out from his back and he rushed forward, a brilliant red aura surrounding him. Trumpets seemed to blast through the air as he soared up, flying towards the oncoming blast of missiles, bullets and laser blasts, and he grinned wildly as he raised his glowing, golden fists…

SHA-WHUDDA!

With a single punch, he blew them all to pieces, sending off a chain explosion of circular blasts, and then…

**BA-WHAAAAAAAAM!**

With an ENORMOUS punch, Kingpin's body doubled up as he spat out blood…Ace had sent a punch clear through his body, one that was so strong he'd almost gone through the skin! Now Kingpin was slipping down the wall like a slug, barely able to open his eyes as Trey groaned and covered his face, ashamed. His partner's nose had burst, his ears were half broken AND he had two bloodied up arms with a black eye…

Ace turned around and raised a thumbs up. "Looks like the Kingpin's been dethroned!" He wisecracked. "Now…who's up for pizza? My treat!"

Before anybody could take him UP on that offer, Kingpin's body rose up and he began to giggle in a creepy fashion, a horrid "Hee-hee-hee" bouncing off the walls as he pressed a control panel near the door he'd been trying to guard…

And they watched in horror as the door on THEIR side closed…and the wall that had been separating them was coming closer to them!

"That wall may not be able to work in the way it did before but…but once that wall reaches you…any human will get smushed…into…into PASTE!" Kingpin laughed. "Looks like…I laugh…LAST…HA-HA-HA-HA!"

Ace rushed forward, aiming for his throat. "You LITTLE!"

But it went through Kingpin's throat as the evil experiment laughed and Trey ran for his life through the other door. "You shoulda figured…I'd be a sore loser!" Kingpin snickered just before he vanished into yellow specks of light. Ace turned to gaze with horror as Pleakley rushed around in a circle.

"Whadda we do, whadda we do?!" He groaned.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Dr. Rupert insisted.

"No TIME to think!" Ace said, rushing forward and jumping through the air. He spread his arms out and the wall stopped instantly, trying to crush this new figure that was resisting it's effect. He had his arms spread out, but as a result of stopping the wall, the space UNDERNEATH his arms wasn't being affected…

"GO!" He shouted. "All of you!"

"But you'll DIE!" Ahinahina shouted.

"JUST…GO!" Ace insisted.

The others on the other side of the wall knew this was the only chance they'd get. They quickly crawled underneath Ace's outstretched, enlarged form, bringing the unconscious, contained-in-a-capsule Nick with them. Chops was the last one to go underneath, and as Ace turned his head to look at 621, he saw the pain in his eyes.

"Ace…I don't want you to die…" He said softly. "Not when you just finally learned the truth…what it means to be strong…"

"He's NOT gonna die." Hegel said sadly, and as they turned their head and saw Hegel light up a cigarette they knew why…Hegel had set his own book aflame to ensure that Ace's body was crushed in half by the wall. Already Ace was vanishing into red light…and thus the wall wasn't affecting him anymore.

Ace turned around and wiped some tears from his eyes. "Sorry I'm cryin'…feel a bit like a wuss, but…this is a good kinda sadness." He admitted. "Makes me feel alive, y'know?"

"…I wish we could have been friends sooner." Chops admitted, looking down at the ground.

"You have made me VERY proud." Hegel said. "You are best partner I could have asked for."

Ace blinked softly, then smiled. "You…were the best partner I coulda asked for too. You didn't take no guff from me, made me work harder and harder to better myself…and you always had a piece of advice for me when I didn't know what to do." He admitted quietly.

"If I ever see you again…I want to introduce you to my family." Hegel said.

"You really think we WILL see each other again?" Ace wondered.

"Have a little faith." Hegel laughed. "Who knows what the future will bring? Just one year ago, you were villain. Now look at you. You are superhero."

"…yeah…just look at me." Ace said, grinning broadly and showing off his pearly whites one last time…

And then he too was gone.

MEANWHILE, SOME DISTANCE AWAY…

"Hooooooo boy…" Charlie moaned.

He, Dan, Riley and Auron were standing in front of the Frozen Flame as the guardian of Senkoukura's heart, Chibisuke, stood there, arms folded across his chest. He had transformed as well…now he was taller than the average human, about seven feet tall, his blue eyes blazing brightly. He'd grown long legs, his claws and talons had stretched and enlarged as well, and he looked very…beautiful. Almost like an angel with a flaming sword. A beautiful, awe-inspiring sight yet also frightening at the same time.

"You're here for one purpose and that…is to defend the Frozen Flame from ME. To ensure I don't destroy it and to ensure that Senkoukura stays in this time, am I correct?" Chibisuke inquired.

"YEAH." Charlie said, nodding.

"There's four of us and one of you." Riley added. "We're stronger than you!"

"…you only THINK you are stronger than me. But before we begin, I wish to say something. I am…sorry…" He lowered his head. "Especially to you, little blond one."

Charlie pointed at himself. "ME?"

"Killing a child is an act that damns a dragon. My kind thinks the murder of children to be beneath us, a sin that is cruel and awful. We're not evil. Ruthless we can be, cruel, yes, but killing a child is an evil act." He raised his head back up. "What I must do shames me, and I wish I could spare you, child." He took up a fighting position.

"If you don't wanna hurt Charlie, why don't you just leave us be?" Riley asked, frowning angrily.

"Because, quite simply, if I don't, Leroy will…" Chibisuke covered his face with his claws. "The things he could do to my mother, I…I'm so, so sorry…" He lowered his claws then raised then back up. "I truly am…but to save my mother, you must die. Please forgive my selfishness and know that I will weep for you, young ones."

He rushed forward and the fight began. As Auron bared his teeth, he prayed silently that he and his partner and their new allies would survive…

He'd felt the loss of good souls even from a distance, like a punch to the gut with every good person that was forced back to the lab. No more, he thought to himself.

NO MORE PEOPLE! He would NOT allow anyone, not even a fellow dragon, to harm the child, Dan, OR his partner!

Nobody else on their team deserved to be sent back! And he would do everything in his power to ensure this.

**Chibisuke: Do you think you have enough strength to win?**

**Riley: Yeah, we do!**

**Charlie: We're not the only ones who have a big fight to worry about...**

**Nick: Hey...who are you?**

**???: Won'tcha guess my name? You'll find out soon enough on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	58. TIGTLW, Pt 8

**CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT**

**不可能なことにがかかりそうです時間****,****パート****8 ****！**

**The Impossible is Going to Take a Little While, Part 8!**

**------------------------------------------------**

The white dragon was proving to be a LOT harder to fight than they'd thought.

FWOOM! A burst of flame from his jaws sent them all scattering around as he fired again and again.

"Hey, if he's Heartwing's son…" Charlie shouted as they raced across the floor of the room. "How come he can blow FIRE and his dad can't?!"

"I would guess it's because of Heatwave. She IS his mother and her spells DO relate to flame!" Dan shouted back. "We need to think up a plan of attack, post-haste!"

"You wanna piece of me?!" Riley shouted, holding up his book and grinning. "**LOA HALA'OLE!**"

Auron's body became covered in medieval garb as he struck up a defensive pose. He weaved back and forth, bouncing on sandals as Chibisuke grinned. "Yeah…EXTRA crispy!" He wisecracked, belching forth flame from his mouth.

Auron ducked, then rolled across the ground and did a quick rising uppercut that knocked Chibisuke into the sky…but then Chibisuke's wings spread out and he grinned as he looked down at Auron. "You're going to have to fight harder than THAT…you can't beat me one on one…"

"I think I CAN." Riley said. "WE can. But only if it's one on one and you don't fly."

"…is that a challenge?" Chibisuke inquired, looking interested as he hovered in the air.

"YES." Riley said.

"…accepted!" Chibisuke laughed, floating down. "I do like a good challenge!"

"Hoʻomākaukau e Kokahele ia paka!" Auron swore as he clenched his fist. (Get ready to go to hell, you bugger!) He leapt through the air and swept his fist, but Chibisuke kicked him back with the flat of his foot, then dove through the air to claw at him…

But Auron was quick. He jumped up, blocked the attack with his arm, then with a harsh THWACK, kicked Chibisuke back as Dan and Charlie eagerly watched.

"OOOOOOOH." Charlie said. "Awwww…"

THWOOSH! Auron threw a punch but Chibisuke dodged it, retaliating with a quick SMACK to the face.

Rubbing it, Auron frowned angrily.

"Makemake ʻoe i kēia!?" (Do you like THIS?!) He shouted, twirling around and delivering a furious swirl of kicks to Chibisuke's face, making him spit out a few teeth before he was knocked to the ground to rub his bloodied mouth.

"Impressive!" Chibisuke said as he leapt through the air, bringing his claws down in a diagonal motion. Luckily Auron backflipped away in time. "MOST impressive! KIYAH!" He quickly jumped through the air and managed to smack his foot into Auron's face, knocking him back a feet feet.

Claws scraping the ground, Auron rose back up and turned to Riley. "Riley!" He shouted.

"RIGHT!" Riley shouted. "**MANA KIA'I!**"

THA-WHOOOM! Auron's body soared up into the air as dark, rust-covered light covered his body. He grew even larger and taller as a large katana appeared on his back and an aura of diabolical power filled him. Then his gloves became covered in strange, glowing gauntlets of pure red light.

Auron landed back on his feet, raising one clawed gauntlet hand threateningly while the other clenched into a fist. Riley grinned and clenched his fist. "Don't worry Charlie, Dan…we'll watch out for you!"

…

…

…

…at one point, Riley had had a wrestling career and had loved every moment of it. And Auron had happily played with an old friend from the lab, Kixx. The two depended on certain allies to be there to cheer for them when times got rough. For Riley, it had been a kid…his biggest fan. For Auron, it had been Kixx.

But then…one night…

Auron had been on a steamer, humming to himself as he looked out on the bay, the city in the distance. And he'd encountered Kixx, who saw him up on the deck.

"Auron, is that you?" He asked, approaching Auron with a slimy-haired human standing by him.

"Wwow, Kixx, you found your book owner?" Auron asked, turning around and blinking in surprise.

"Yes, I did. So you still haven't found yours yet?"

"No." Auron had shaken his head. "Which is too bad…"

"Yep…" Kixx grinned darkly. "Too bad for **you**…"

Auron blinked in surprise as Kixx raised his fist up. "You're WEAKER than me now, Auron…you have no book owner. That makes you vulnerable. You shouldn't forget that…"

"Kixx, you're…you're not going to ATTACK me…" Auron said quietly, stepping back slightly, eyes widening. "I mean…I'm your friend…"

"IDIOT." Kixx snapped. "This isn't a fight where FRIENDSHIP is possible!!!"

"But…_but_…"

The sting of betrayal hurt worse than the punch to the gut that had sent him overboard had. A LOT WORSE.

And Riley? Well…

It had been his toughest fight. He'd been expecting the kid to show. But he didn't.

Not for the first round. Or the second or third. And as time went on Riley got depressed…got sloppy…

CHA-WHOOM!

"AAAA!!!"

And then got knocked out. VERY HARD.

He'd blamed the kid. He shouldn't have, but he had. As he angrily took the stuff out of his gym locker, he'd been angrily stomping home, mumbling obscenities.

"Dirty rotten stinkin' stupid faggy little brat of a prick couldn't come to see my biggest fight the hell is wrong with him that-"

…THEN that had stopped when he happened to see a coughing and spluttering figure pull itself from the water, clutching onto a book like mad as it shivered in cold…

The two had bonded over feeling betrayed by those they'd cared for. And Riley still didn't know to this day what had happened to the kid…

…why hadn't he come?

…

…

…

… "I'm going to rock your world…the BAD WAY." Auron swore.

"Maybe." Chibisuke said, shrugging. "Try and save it for when you actually WIN though…"

Chibisuke swung his body, throwing a few punches as Auron leaned back to dodge them, but the red dragon was caught off guard when Chibisuke leapt over his head then spun around ON TOP of his head, his taloned feet kicking him in the face over and over as he spun.

Leaping through the air, Chibisuke took up another fighting pose, looking slightly proud of his handiwork as Auron rubbed his sore chin…then jumped through the air and landed quickly, throwing a punch.

"Keep it up, don't give in!" Riley insisted. "Left, right! DODGE! Watch it, he's getting too close for you, be NIMBLE! OUTTHINK him!"

Auron swung, Chibi blocked. Chibi slashed, Auron dodged. Then Auron managed to backhand the white dragon across the face, then quickly follow up with a swift kick to his mid section that knocked him down…

But even THEN it wasn't over! Chibisuke swung his legs up to smash Auron's head but Auron blocked, leaping up to slam his own feet down on Chibisuke, who rolled out of the way, then spun quickly, sweeping Auron off his feet…

But Auron punched off the ground, rushing through the air at Chibisuke, who stood on his hands and jumped up, spinning around and knocking Auron back.

"WOAH this is off the hook!" Charlie yelled.

"You need to stop watching MTV." Dan groaned. "Though the fluidity of their movements IS impressive…"

"Give him the one-two!" Riley yelled. "OOH, he ain't gonna be pretty no more!"

Finally it happened. Chibisuke swung a punch that left himself exposed and Auron delivered a HARSH punch to his snout, then followed up with a high-jump-kick that knocked him to the wall. Chibisuke slid down it, mumbling as he stood back up.

"YEAH!" Riley shouted, punching the air.

"You ARE good…but it will take more than that to beat ME!" He shouted, taking in a deep breath.

"Uh oh!" Riley gasped. The fire attacks!

FWA-WHOOOOOM!

Chibisuke launched a massive, X-shaped blast of flame and Auron raised his katana up, cutting into it…but being slowly pushed back.

"RRRRR!" He growled as the flames roared around him, curling and licking…and getting too close to the Frozen Flame!

"If this keeps up, he'll destroy the Frozen Flame and Senkoukura won't be able to return to the future!" Dan gasped. "We have to interfere!"

"Hey, we can't." Charlie said. "Those guys can beat him!"

FRRRRRAAAAAHHHH!

The fire increased and Auron was knocked to the ground, smoking slightly as he groaned and staggered back up. Chibisuke clenched his fists and they became emblazoned with fire.

"Or…maybe…not." Charlie realized out loud. "This could be bad!"

THWACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA! The white dragon slammed his burning fist into Auron's stomach over and over, burning through the kimono he was wearing. Then he grabbed the red dragon's face and a searing pain burnt into Auron as he screamed…

THWOOM!

Chibisuke slammed him into the wall then stepped back and folded his arms, the fire dying away as Auron was left deeply imbedded in the wall. Turning around, he clenched his fist and pointed at Riley. "You've LOST." He said.

"No…we haven't. There's one more move we can do." Riley said. "AURON!"

Auron pulled himself out of the wall and jumped over to Riley. "Take your best fiery shot, Chibisuke."

"Well, since you ASKED!" Chibisuke laughed, opening his mouth and firing off a burst of flame that roared through the air like a double helix…

THWOOM!

Something was thrown through the air that stopped the fire in it's tracks and Chibisuke blinked at Auron and Riley as he saw what it was…the book.

"This move we know by heart…and it has a condition. It can only be used when the book's burning. Funny, huh? Our most powerful technique can only be used when we're in the worst of circumstances." Riley said.

"NO!" Charlie sobbed.

"No, you can't…you shouldn't have done that! I didn't want to lose another comerade! We've lost too many!"

"…you're good people." Auron said softly. "Please let the others know how hard I fought. And…and don't cry, Charlie…"

"Yeah…you look a lot better smiling." Riley laughed. He pointed at Chibisuke and grinned. "Take THIS, Chibisuke! **AMANA ʻĀNELA KIAʻI!**"

THA-WHUDDA-WHUDDA-WHOOOM! A shaft of brilliant light soared out from the ground, a shimmering beam of powerful red light that bathed Auron over completely, sending out tiny sparkles of energy that floated around in the air. When the beam of light faded, Auron was now an ENORMOUS dragon…a wyvern, actually. He had no arms, but large, beautiful wings that seemed to be made of living fire, a huge fanged maw, and a gold-scaled chest and stomach with red scales that glistened on his body. His golden talons curling, he raised his majestic head and soared through the air, his entire body burning with fire…

SCHA-WHOOOOOOM!

…

…

…

…when the smoke cleared, Auron was there…turning into red sparkles of light that were sailing into the air. He turned around to wave cheerfully at Riley and mouth "goodbye" just before…he was gone.

Chibisuke lay there against the wall. He blinked slowly, his every muscle aching and burnt…physically unable to move. He finally just closed his eyes and conked out, his head hitting the floor while Riley sat alone, looking down at the remains of his book…dust. Dust and nothing more.

Charlie walked up to him and hugged him from behind. "I see where Auron got it from." He said.

"…yeah, I…" Riley nervously said, biting his lip. "I taught him all of that…"

Charlie sat to one side while Dan to another. "Hey, couldja tell me about your first match?" He asked Riley.

The wrestler turned to look at him, then smiled. "I'd love to." He said.

…

…

…

…elsewhere, our other group of heroes were in an elevator that was rising up to the brain room. All of them looked around at each other.

"TECHINCALLY we outnumber them. But I think we've all fought enough battles to know that strength in numbers isn't what makes a battle." Chopsuey insisted.

"No, it's not. But try and think positive." Crystallene offered.

"POSITIVE?!" Morph shouted. "Leroy's off his ROCKER!!! We're gonna die!"

"That's not very positive." Spud insisted.

"We're gonna die quickly!" Morpholomew moaned, covering his black eyes and shivering.

"We CAN'T be afraid. Think of what he's DONE!" Yuuku growled.

"The jerk's a A-HOLE." Dude agreed.

"I'm scared." Sara admitted. "But…we have to be brave. All of us."

"I hope the other guys are taking good enough care of Nick for us down on the other level." Chops said quietly. "And I REALLY hope that he wakes up soon…"

"GIRIGIRIGIRI!" Heartwing said, bounding up and down.

"Let's kick some can!" Dude laughed.

The elevator opened…they walked out to a large door that slid open and saw, in full glory…

There he was. Sitting atop his throne with Lillith by his side. Sneak stood to the right with HIS partner and Ri and Jam were to the left.

"Welly, welly, well…you got here. You lost a lot of people though. I can hear it in your head, that nun and that idiotic "child prodigy" keep thinking about them."

"…" Chopsuey clenched his fist.

"I'd LOVE to watch…but frankly, you bore me." Leroy remarked. "You and your petty concepts of "good and evil"."

"That's the talk of a somebody who takes the easy way out. Somebody who's COPPING OUT." Chopsuey growled.

"SHUT THEM UP." Leroy growled angrily, turning away. "Sneak? Jam?"

"Okeydokeyday." Sneak's partner Squee said. "Let's try…**HIRETSUKAN!********"**

"**REDAGUN!**" Ri read out from HIS book.

Sneak's helmet glowed, and he opened up his maw as two LARGE snakes made of energy shot out, their fangs glistening as Jam's quick energy blasts whizzed at them.

"Crystallene!" Chops shouted.

"On it"! Yuuku and Crystallene said at the same time. Yuuku held the book up and grinned. **"MUNIMENTUM!" **

SHAWHOOM! The glimmering mosaic shield erected itself as the two attacks slammed into it. Everyone grinned…

Then their faces fell when they saw that the shield was cracking.

"RUUUUUNNN!" Crystallene screamed, diving to the side. Everyone followed suit as it exploded into little pieces and Leroy snickered.

"Heh-heh-heh. Like I said…you bore me."

"Oh, we'll have to DO something about that, won't we?!" Chops snarled.

"I don't like your ATTITUDE!" Dude laughed. "**TOTUS-INSONS DRACO!**"

"**BANDA DA FRATRELLI!**" Spud yelled out. "TALLY-HOOOOO!"

PA-WHOOMF! Morpholomew split into a large group that SOARED through the air while Heartwing launched himself, his body shining like a star. The lovable green dragon slammed full-on into Jam while Morpholomew and his clones struck Sneak…

But then Heartwing immediately felt fear enter him as Jam's claws dug into his arm and a BALEFUL look shot out from the purple experiment's eyes…and when Jam spoke, it was with the voice of a pure DEMON.

"Do you have ANY idea the sort of pain I'm going to inflict on you?!" He whispered angrily, harshly.

"Uh, spin 'em away." Squee suggested to Sneak.

THA-WHOOOOOOOOOSH! Spinning rapidly, the snake-like experiment's tail shot out and struck Morpholomew and his clones all across the face like a tornado, sending them flying back, while Jam forcibly threw Heartwing to the ground.

"Gee, Jam's gotten tougher…" Heartwing groaned, rubbing his head.

"They're about to get tougher still! Are you ready for the sacrifice?" Leroy asked. "I grant you the Blessing of the Lord of Flame and Light!" Leroy roared out.

THA-WINK! A shining light blinked from the middle of Sneak and Jam's bodies…and it momentarily blinded everyone. But when it was over…

Jam was a BULGINGLY muscular gargoyle-like being with long black hair, sharp claws and talons, and now wearing a nice-looking loincloth. This was so his incredible muscles could be shown off…along with the reversed-angelic tattoos on his body. And his WINGS…they'd become mechanical, made of gears and bolts and strips of metal.

Sneak had changed as well. He was now a reptilian creature with a strange circle symbol at the top of his head that looked spiked. He had a elongated pair of pincers sticking out of his neck and three sharp claws on each appendage, save for the feet, that had two. Weirdest of all was that he had a large SACK on his back which was vaguely translucent. You could SORT of see inside…

"Fa-ree-kee…" Crystallene said, shaking her finger and fanny.

"It's about to get freakier. You see, in exchange for power, there must be something given up in return. It is a matter of DUALITY. If it's a matter of personality, you have to give up one positive trait and one negative. Or perhaps two limbs…or two eyes. Jam has given up…" Leroy turned around, grinning. "His WINGS. I have the originals right HERE…"

He pointed to the side and Lillith held up Jam's original wings. They looked…ancient now. As if they hadn't been used in years.

"What has Sneak given up?" Crystallene asked.

"Glad you asked, actually. He's agreed to give up two things to fulfill the duality that's needed. One is his ability to speak…"

Sneak nodded his head.

"And the other…is his partner."

Squee blinked. "WHAT?"

SCHWIP! Sneak was on him in an instant, the elongated pincers sticking into his neck and injecting a neurotoxin to inhibit a certain part of his brain…that which would cause him to feel pain. It's only for a few moments, though.

But they were all he needed. Sneak's jaw unhinged before their eyes as Squee was reduced to a sack of a meal, being gulped up into the gigantic reptile's body. His throat now BULGED before he gulped strongly, and then turned his head around to look at the sack on his back.

POINK! There Squee was, in the sack, blinking.

"I feel FAT in here." Squee announced.

His partner looked offended. Apparently Squee guessed how Sneak felt by the look on his face and said "Sorry, but…"

"He ATE HIS PARTNER?!?" Crystallene shrieked.

"OH MY GOD!" Sara screamed.

"What is it with villains and eating partners?" Spud mumbled. "This would be a mental FEAST for Freud's mind…course he WAS oversexed."

"Really?" Chops inquired, looking interested.

"AND he snorted cocaine." Spud added.

Immediately the opening guitar riff for "Cocaine" played and Spud busted a move in accordance. Then it ended and he went back to standing normally.

"Learn something new every day, I guess." Sara said, looking rather…weirded out.

"He's still alive, but he'll stay in there. His freedom was given up along with Sneak's ability to speak in exchange for the incredible power boost that comes with The Blessing." Leroy explained. "Don't worry, he won't suffocate or starve in there. Not that I really CARE if he lives or dies AFTER this fight, but I don't want you rubbing your hands and moaning over his fate. It irritates me."

"YOU'RE irritating!" Morpholomew said, stepping forward.

"…what's THIS? MOANING MORPHOLOMEW?" Leroy inquired. "Good LORD, you must be JOKING. You're a cream puff…yet you actually think that you stand any chance?" He began sniggering. "This is too good!" He laughed. "Oh, I'm DEFINITELY watching you kill him. Go to town on him, boys!"

"**SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**" Ri read from the book.

"**STRISCIARE!**" Squee read from where HE was.

Sneak still had that many-pocketed jacket on him. They ALL opened up as aura snakes whizzed out, baring their fangs as they rushed at Morpholomew and Jam's pulsing purple/black attack soared down as well.

"**MUNIMENTUM!" **Crystallene shoutedas she summoned her mosaic shield, which tried to stand up against the two attacks. But then Jam smirked as he raised his ARM up…

TWHOIIIING! It extended out and soared around the shield, aiming for Morpholomew! Chops quickly dove forward, knocking the little red blob out of harm's reach while Heartwing, still powered up, dove at Jam and clocked him in the head. "CREEPY JERK!" He shouted.

"Hmm. THIS spell looks interesting, I don't think I've tried it before…" Squee remarked. "**LUCIFUGA**!" he shouted out, blinking a few times inside the sack.

Sneak shot out into the air, soaring above our protagonists…then growing HUGE, becoming an ENORMOUS, scaly shield!

"**CONTEGO**!" Yuuku shouted desperately, erecting the glassy dome around them all. But the large "Lucifuga" shield pressed down harder and harder, cracking it…

CRAAAAASH! They all bolted to the side to avoid being squished. Morpholomew clenched his little blobby fist and growled. "No…more…running…no…more…losing our friends!" He shouted. "SPUD!"

"On it! Time to give our buddies a boost!" He laughed. "**GUARDIA DEL CORPO!********" **

BOIIIING! Morpholomew became an ENORMOUS version of himself, one that towered in the air. Jam frowned. "What the?!"

Snarling, he rushed forward through the air on his wings and slashed at it, not paying attention to Heartwing who came at him from the side and struck HARD with his fists, laughing as he sent the bat experiment flying…

BUT they'd forgotten about Sneak.

"**HIRETSUKAN!**" Squee read out.

Sneak's mouth opened and the two aura snakes shot out of his mouth, slamming hard into Morpholomew…the REAL blob. Spud gasped, rushing forward…

But then Morph got back up and grinned. "I'm…FINE…" he insisted. He ran forward, yelling a battle cry as he swirled his fist in the air. "TAAAAIYOOOOOOHHHH!!!"

"**SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**" Jam's book keeper read, holding up the purple book he carried. Morpholomew was propelled backwards, his entire body oozing with blood, but he just jumped back up and kept running.

"_I am NOT GONNA LET anyone else go! I keep watching other people get sent back and I can't do anything about it! Well NO MORE! Not with my new powers!"_ Morpholomew thought to himself. _"I'm not gonna be no coward!"_

"Fine, then, blast his friends! **REDAGUN!**" " Ri yelled out.

Morpholomew leapt into the air as Spud cast a spell. "**VARIAZONE!**"

WHOOM! He was transformed into a large shield. Even as the plasma bullets from Jam's wings shot out, slamming into him, he didn't give, but continued to stay erect, flinching slightly as they slammed into him over and over.

"HA-HA-HA-HA! You don't look too good!" Jam laughed. "You're walkin' on Death's Door! It's a wonder you're still STANDING!"

"Don't insult my little blob buddy!" Spud roared out.

Jam stuck his tongue out. "And if I DO?"

"Then he'll go after your book keeper like he's doing now?" Lillith asked.

"Oh, yeah, he could-WHAT?!" Jam turned his head, eyes widening as Spud ran towards the pillar that Ri was standing on. "You little!!!"

"GOTCHA! **REPENDO!**" Yuuku roared out, holding the book high as Crystallene pointed at Sneak and Jam, who were distracted and close enough together.

WHUDDA-WHUDDA! They were now surrounded in a glassy, glowing shield…and that meant that Ri was open for attack. THEY couldn't use their moves unless they wanted them rebounded on each other!

"_**BANDA DI FRATELLI!**_" Spud yelled out.

BA-WHOOF! Morpholomew summoned up his clones, and they all rose into the air around Ri, who blinked in surprise.

"We've WON!" Spud laughed.

"…not…quite…" Leroy said, shrugging and giving him a small smile.

"Huh?"

Then they saw it…Morpholomew's clones…were vanishing into thin air.

"You see…the thing is…while YOUR body might have strength to spare at the moment, Mr. Spudinski…" Leroy said coolly, pointing out with a claw. "Your partner…is a different story."

They all gasped at the sight below. There, quivering, unable to do anything but pant heavily…was Morpholomew. He had worked himself up too much…he was unable to keep the clones going.

"No…NO…" Crystallene whimpered.

"GET 'EM." Leroy demanded. "THE TREATMENT."

KA-CRASH!

The shield that had been holding Sneak and Jam in place shattered, and Jam flew down, grabbing the now-unconscious Morpholomew and tossing him at a pillar…

WOOMP! It encased his body, save for his face, and shot up into the air. His face now stuck out at the top, making it look like some sick totem pole.

"While WITHIN the pole, he's not going to die. At least…not SOON." Leroy sniggered. "The best part is I get to fiddle around with their bodies, both mentally AND physically while they're within those pillars. Heatwave was a LOT of fun…I wonder if YOU'LL crack the same way HE did?" Leroy hissed evilly, his eyes becoming horrid slits, his fangs bared in a leer.

"Get the girl!" Ri ordered. "**SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**"

"Yeah, take this, ya smelly GIRL!" Squee laughed. "**HIRETSUKAN!**"

Yuuku gasped as Crystallene shoved her back…

And took the full front of the blow.

…meanwhile…

Nick floated around in an endless abyss. He was confused…he didn't understand.

Where WAS he? He had a vague idea he was at some big fancy point in space, but he wasn't sure WHAT…

"This is the Reset Dimension."

He turned his head to see an experiment that looked a LOT like Leroy. He had a brown body though, with a light brown chest and stomach, dark brown glasses on his face, a black jumpsuit and an interested look.

"Okay, I know you're NOT Leroy. So how are you? You sound a LOT different from him. Like…you're from California!"

"I am. Sorta. You can call me Vic." He waved his hand dismissively. "I'M not important right now. But what I'm about to tell you IS." He cleared his throat. "For years the Reset Dimension has served as a way to view all points of history in a single place. It's a part of Nexus, an area that links all worlds together. Fanon and Canon collide in Nexus, living peacefully for the most part. Or at least, that's how it used to be. Now things have been changed. The realities aren't tied to Nexus anymore due to major interference from the negative energy that supervillains make."

"I KNEW it!" Nick gasped. "This is like some vision where you show me the future, right?"

"No, not the future…the present. Just in a different place. BEHOLD!"

Victor clapped his hands together. Instantly Nick's vision was treated to a wonderous sight as a brilliantly illuminated galaxy appeared. Stars and planets swirled about in the Heavens around him, glistening like beautiful crystals and gems…and there, in the center, was a shining star more beautiful than anything he'd ever seen. But most of all…

…he heard MUSIC. He could see rainbow streams of light flowing out from the shining star, connecting to different planets and other stars, and beautiful music was blending together, a concert of joyous song that would have made Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and every classical musician bow their heads and go "WE'RE NOT WORTHY" to the source of this music…the star.

"What is it?" Nick asked softly. "It sounds…wonderful…I just…I've never heard anything so amazing."

"Those are people. ADVENTURES. LIFE, kid." Victor said. "Those planets are worlds that many different canons live on. The stars are potentialities that represent worlds that will be. They're being worked on even now…realities that are far different than the one you come from. In fact, do you see that planet over there?"

He pointed. "THAT'S where Kila's comes from. It's connected to Nexus…the point where all worlds can converge. And THAT is where I come from. I was recently connected to Nexus and no longer live on potentiality…but REALITY." He smiled. "Creators work every day to ensure that those potentialities become worlds so that they may be connected to Nexus. But there is always a need for do-gooders to go to the different canons and to ensure that evil is kept at bay. And YOU'RE supposed to be doing that task. You've had help…and you'll have more help too…White and Ahinahina are looking after you along with the others and they all expect you to open your eyes and get up right now. Your partner, your FRIENDS, your FAMILY need you, and you're off in La-La-Land!"

Nick sighed, folding his arms. "You're right…I can't just snooze away while my friends are getting their butts handed to them!…I…"

He clenched his fist. "I gotta wake up. NOW!"

**Review! And now for another preview!**

**Leroy: You're going to die! Oh happy, happy, happy!**

**Chops: Darn it, what are we going to do?**

**Crystallene: Can't...keep...holding...on...**

**???: I think it's time I did something on the next "Alternate Fate, Fantasy"! Hold on, guys...I'll save you!**


	59. TIGTLW, Pt 9

**CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE**

**不可能なことにがかかりそうです時間****,****パート9****！**

**The Impossible is Going to Take a Little While, Part 9!**

**------------------------------------------------**

Things had gone from bad to ABYSMAL for our dear protagonists.

One by one their allies had been forcibly sent back to the laboratory. Worse still, Nick, Chopsuey's partner, was currently knocked out and still healing, off in "La-La-Land" and trying to mentally bring himself back to consciousness. Morpholomew was trapped inside a large pillar and unconscious, Ri and Squee, Leroy's lackeys, had just experienced Leroy's "Pimp My Partner" by giving them "The Blessing of the Lord of Flame and Light" and they were thirty-something minutes away from Hawaii.

Worse still, Squee was kicking Crystallene's butt. She'd pushed Yuuku aside to avoid her partner from being hurt and now was covered in burn marks…and things were about to get worse.

"As a member of GROSS…"

"Huh?" Leroy gave him a look, then scanned his mind. "Oh, the "**G**et **R**ed **O**f **S**limy Girl**S** club."

"I'm gonna take you down to CHINATOWN! Let's try THIS spell!" He said, reading off another spell from within the sack on his partner's back. Sneak looked behind him to see Squee looking through the book. "Yeah, it's perfect! **NAHEKA!**"

Sneak's body curled up into a ball and suddenly SPIKES shot out from his body. Like a gigantic wrecking ball, he SLAMMED into Crystallene and sent her flying through the air, and she hit a pillar, sliding down it to collapse on the floor.

"Howdya' like THEM apples?!"

"…that kid…Nick…kept fighting…until…he was…bleeding EVERYWHERE…until…his body…was BLACKENED with soot…until almost every bone…was BROKEN…and if I didn't fight HALF AS HARD…" Crystallene got up. "I WOULDN'T BE BEING A VERY GOOD FRIEND TO HIM!"

"He gave up EVERYTHING so that Heatwave could be stopped and we're going to do everything it takes to stop YOU, you scumbaggy TROG!" Yuuku shouted at Leroy. "**THE SIXTH SPELL…VINDICO PIACULUM!**"

"Hmm?!" Leroy frowned. What the?

**SFX: Angelic Choir**

**_DIIIIIIEEEEES FAAAAAABAAAAAA…_**

"OOOOOOH." Squee said, looking at the large goddess that was floating above Crystallene's head at the moment. "She's PURDY."

"Look at those EYES. So DEEP!" Jam remarked. "CREEPY too…"

"It's about to get CREEPIER!" Yuuku hissed eagerly.

The goddess held aloft the spear as a crystal ball appeared, showing…Crystallene getting knocked around and badly burnt by Jam's spell.

FA-WOING!

"GRAWR!"

The one pristine-face became a snarling maw with veins sticking out of the forehead. THEN the crystal ball showed Sneak barreling into her and turning her into a blackened, bloody and bruised mess!

"SHRRRROAAAAARRR!" The goddess howled, her teeth curling at the top and bottom, sticking out of her mouth as her hair flailed around like they were snakes and she was Medusa, her eyes becoming pure white, glowing angrily as the wings on her back became sharper…

**"HOW'S THIS FOR GIRL POWER?!?"** Crystallene shrieked, throwing the goddess through the air. It whizzed through the air, it's body glowing brightly with energy…

"Oh fu-"

SCHA-WHOOOOOOOM! An explosion of MASSIVE proportions struck Jam, sending beams of light flying out through the air. Everyone shielded their eyes as Jam's body was caught in the explosion, the goddess-held-spear striking him hard.

"We…got him…" Yuuku gasped out.

"Gotcha…" Crystallene giggled…right before she hit the ground.

"AH! NO!" Shush screamed, running over to Crystallene with a canteen of special liquid, the same sort of healing liquid that Nick was now bathing in to heal himself at the moment. The pinkish, big-eared weasel shook Crystallene's unmoving body, trying desperately to wake her. "Crystallene! Crystallene! Please wake up! Please…c'mon! I'm sorry for all the stuff I did to you, just please wake up…"

SCHRACK!

A talon pierced the canteen she'd put down next to her and she turned and looked up to see Sneak's face gazing intently down at him, along with Squee.

"You…YOU…" Shush growled, clenching her fist. "YOU!!!" She raised her fist.

PA-POW! Sneak punched her across the face and she went flying through the air, falling to the ground. Shush gasped several times, trying to stand up and barely catching a glimpse of Sneak calmly picking the unconscious Crystallene up.

"Don't…you…dare…touch her!" Sneak shouted.

Sneak gave him a look that seemed to say "Yeah, like I'm gonna listen to YOU" and then calmly walked over to the pillar next to Morpholomew's own prison pillar. He placed her almost gently inside of it, then stepped back as her body went flying up into the air. Most of her body was encased in the top of the pillar now, save for the first three inches of her body and most of her face. Admittedly, she was sticking out more than Morph, but Yuuku was in tears, eyes wide with horror and sorrow.

"CRYSTALLENE!" She screamed, body shaking madly.

"GRRRRRR…"

They all turned their heads. Heartwing, who was closest to the voice, gasped as he saw Jam take a few steps forward, his wings were down to the bare bones, almost BROKEN, parts of his body now burnt beyond recognition. Some of his teeth had been chipped and most of all…Jam was maaaaaaaad!

He looked around, then saw she was in a pillar. "So…she got caught? I'll admit…" He gave her a look of honesty that made Heartwing blink in surprise. "THAT was the most impressive attack I've ever seen in my life."

Heartwing clenched his fists and took up a fighting position. "Well, she's not in right now. I'M filling in for her and I am gonna kick your can, clean your clock, FIX YOUR WAGON, DECK…YOUR…HALLS!" He proclaimed.

"I'd like to see you TRY, dragon!" Jam sniggered.

"We're gonna turn you into a wall decoration! LITERALLY!" Squee said. Then he blinked. "Sorry, I think that sounded too evil. Did it sound too evil, Sneak?"

Sneak nodded.

"Okay, uh…prepare for pain?"

A shake of the head.

"I know! Let's rock, reptile!"

Sneak shrugged. Close enough. Meanwhile, Sara had given Shush a thermos. "Here. I've got more of the liquid inside of this. You've got to be ready to give it to Heartwing in case he really needs it!"

"You got it!" Shush said, taking the plaid-colored thermos. Then she heard it…off in the distance…

Rapid beating…the rapid beating of a HEART…

She grinned and turned around, seeing Heartwing was deep in battle. He was swirling and rushing around Sneak and Jam, diving here and there and smacking into them with his fists every time he got close enough. They didn't have time for a counterattack, because he'd suddenly dive at them, CLOCK them one, then rush away across the air to clock their partner, OR jump off a pillar and soar at them, taloned feet slamming into their gut!

"We need an attack that sends itself out in multiple directions!" Ri yelled out.

"Oh, I've got one!" Squee realized. "**STRISCIARE!**"

Sneak's many pockets on the jacket he wore opened up, and WOOSHA-WOOSHA-WOOSH! Hissing snakes made of blazing energy surged out from the pockets, snapping and hissing as they rushed at Heartwing! BUT…he grinned, and WEAVED around them all, laughing.

"Missed me, missed me, now ya gotta kiss me!" He sang out.

"Why you little!!!" Jam hissed. Then he blinked.

Wait a minute…where was Chopsuey? Experiment 621 had just-

He looked left. Then right. Then he looked partially BEHIND him and saw Chopsuey was climbing up the pillar Crystallene was in to pull her out!

"Almost…there…hold on!" He whispered.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be doing that-" Squee complained.

BANG! Heartwing kicked Sneak in the face and his reptilian snout crunched up as he fell down. JAM, however…

"YOU LITTLE!!"

"On it." Ri said, nodding. "**REDAHANE!**"

SCHWOOSH! Purple blades of plasma energy soared from the skeletal wings Jam now had. The first one missed…the second DIDN'T. Chops fell down to the ground, a harsh cut on his back, screaming in pain.

"HA! Take THAT you-"

"COWARD!!!" Heartwing screamed tearfully, slamming full force into Jam's back and then tossing him to the ground. He rushed down at him and then proceeded to punch him in the face over and over, crying all the while. "YOU!"

THWACK!

"SICK!"

SCHWOCK!

"EVIL!"

SCHWOOM!

"TWISTED!"

TWHAM!

"MONSTER!"

KRA-KRACK!

"HOW-CAN-YOU-BE-SO-CRUEL!?!"

WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA-

Unfortunately, there was a new spell that Jam had unlocked as a result of the Blessing. And Ri used it right there.

"**DENPATANCHIKI**!" Ri roared out.

SHOO-WHOOOOM!

It was one of the most intense things they'd ever seen. Jam's entire body glowed purple and a swirling vortex of purple light shot out from his body, spiraling around like a gigantic tornado…and Heartwing was caught in the middle of this. The entire ROOM became warped, everyone's vision momentarily gaining a dark tint of purple, and several pillars that were nearby were OBLITERATED due to them being too close to the attack.

At last it ended…Heartwing fell down to the ground with a nasty THA-THUNK and Jam hovered in the air, body hunched over, panting rapidly…

But looking VERY proud. "Heh…heh…heh…I…DID it…" He laughed. "I…I'm DEFINITELY…not weak…"

"No…but you're STUPID!" Shush shouted as the dust cleared away, revealing her to be giving Heartwing some of the healing liquid from her thermos. "You shoulda paid more attention to ME!"

Heartwing took in some of the juice as Jam's eyes widened…

Then Jam smirked as Heartwing VOMITED up the juice.

"Uh oh…he's too HURT to keep the stuff down!" Dude realized.

"Good for ME, bad for YOU!" Jam laughed.

Then the worst happened. Heartwing's eyes snapped open…and they were pure green. His body became white as well, shimmering coldly as he rose up, clenching his fists and Shush stepped back to see his fangs and claws get larger.

"YOU…HURT…MY…_OHANA_!!!" Heartwing screamed. "YOU FREAK, YOU FREAKING HURT MY FREAKING FAMILY, AND I'M GONNA FREAKING KICK YOUR FREAKING ASS, YOU FREAKING FREEEAAAAAAAK!!!"

"Oh boy, you're boned." Spud remarked.

"Lord in Heaven, he's lost his MIND!" Sara realized.

Heartwing's body became aglow with burning, blazing white light that shot up through the air, ALL around him! Shush and Sara quickly stepped back and shielded their eyes…it was like they were staring at the sun! The entire room brightened as everyone who was close to Heartwing was forced to step back…

Leroy frowned intently. This WAS a mighty power. He could see Squee and Sneak were writhing on the ground, the light bathing over them and causing them INCREDIBLE discomfort…and they weren't even in the direct line of fire!

Ri and Jam, however, WERE, and they were being propelled back, the light diving into their very souls. Jam felt like he was being struck over and over with hammers, a thousand pains striking him deeply, never giving up, and Heartwing's green eyes glistened as he began to sneer…

But Ri wa enduring the worst. He turned his head to see his partner let out a TERRIBLE scream of pain, blood oozing out from the corner of his mouth. Normally seeing somebody in that much pain, even an enemy, would have made Heartwing feel terrible, but he was lost in Bloodwrath. NOTHING would stop him…

Except Jam, who rushed forward with all his might, swirling through the light blast…

THA-WHACKA!

And punching Heartwing clear in the side of the head. CONK! He fell to the ground…knocked out. And soon HE was stuck in a pillar as well.

"I'm…getting…tired…" Jam gasped out, trying to catch his breath as he hovered back to his partner, who was clutching his chest and wiping the blood from the side of his mouth.

"Oh don't worry. We're now twenty five minutes from Hawaii. And OH, what FUN we shall have!" Leroy sniggered, laughing cruelly.

"You…you heartless sonofa…" Spud growled.

"I'LL…I'LL KILL YOU!" Chops screamed, clenching his clawed fists and looking up furiously at Leroy.

"Jam, if you could?" Leroy asked, pointing with a single claw.

"Sure." Jam said, hovering in the air over Chopsuey.

"**SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**" His book keeper read, holding up the purple book he carried.

Jam's wings were encased in a dark purple shine as swirls of laser energy sailed down from them, spiraling down to crush Chops WHEN…

"**KEICHOU!**"

"SHHH!"

Shush had run in front of Chops and had stuck her finger to her lip, holding it up and going SHHH. A whispery trail of light encircled the oncoming attack…and it began to slow down VERY much. Smirking, Shush calmly picked Chops up and carried him far off to the side, then looked back as the attack slammed into the ground. She then turned to Jam, Leroy and Sneak.

"That's enough, jerkwads! I'M your foe, now!" Shush growled.

"Shush, don't HURT them!" Sara insisted.

"Oh, this will be easy!" Jam laughed. "Your partner is a NUN! She won't actually have you HURT us! In fact, as far as I can remember, you don't have ANY spells that are physically damaging! You're all about status effects!"

Shush pulled her eyelid down and stuck her tongue out. "Kindly suck my non-existent-"

Before she could FINISH this insult and turn this chapter into a M-rated thing, Ri spoke up. "**REDAGUN!**"

Jam's wings shot up and swirling blasts shot out, rising up and then shooting down through the air from different directions.

"Chops, I want you to do what I do!" Shush insisted. "Follow my lead!"

**BGM: Caramelldansen, Speedycake Remix**

Shush stood up straight, then spread out her arms up, striking a pose. Chopsuey repeated the gesture. Then Shush spread the arms wide, like she was pointing in two directions. Chopsuey did the same AND…

THAWHOOOSHA! The rays that Jam had sent down from his wings slid by them, MISSING!

"The HECK!?!?" Jam gasped. "That was just a fluke! Ri, again!"

**"****REDAGUN********!""**

Shush twisted her body, then extended one arm forward, raising another up. Chops repeated the gesture and dodged another beam. Then Shush put one paw on her hip and formed a "victory" sign with her other hand, moving it across her face and swirling around in place. Chops shrugged, thend did the same…and swirled away from another ray blast!

"HOW?!" Jam gasped.

"THAT'S right. FEAR THE EARS!" Shush laughed. She then put her finger up into the air and danced, shaking her booty before she whirled around, then struck a pose, extending a hand out and looking proud. "Oh-ahh-ahh-ahh! Dansa med oss, klappa era hander, gor som vi gor, ta na gra steg at vanster! Lyssna och lar, missa inte chanson, nu ar vihar med…CaramellDansen!" She sang out.

(Music ends)

"DANG she's gooooood!" Spud admitted.

"Seriously good!" Heatwave said from her pillar.

…wait, WHAT?!?

Everyone turned their head to the right to see Heatwave was in a pillar herself, looking over the whole scene. In fact, she was VERY close to Leroy.

"You GO, girl!" Heatwave complimented. "You got style!"

"Spunk too." Leroy admitted. "BUT I HATE SPUNK!"

"Let's get psychoanalytic and talk about the REAL stick up your heiny-whiney, Leroy!" Shush growled. "You're SCARED!"

Leroy's eye twitched. "What…did you say?" He whispered softly, dangerously.

"You're SCARED of fighting Chopsuey! I'll bet he's got just as much power as you! Maybe MORE! That's why you didn't show yourself to fight him or Nick…because you knew he could beat you! And you don't DARE have us going off to find him because you know we'd bring him back and he'd beat you!"

A dark, terrible, yet fearful glare was now on Leroy's face. He spoke like one who was BARELY able to keep his anger under control. "I…would like…that weasels…HEAD." He said calmly. "GET HER." He snarled.

Sara's book glowed. She opened it up and her eyes widened at seeing a new spell…

"**STRISCIARE!**" "**SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**"

The two attacks rushed towards our heroes, but Shush lifted her ears up and Sara read out from the book. "**TENKAN!**" She shouted, reading the spell.

WUDDA-WUDDA-WUDDA! Strange circles shot out from Shush's ears, getting larger and larger as they raced towards the other two attacks…and this odd sonic-based attack suddenly forced Jam and Sneak's attacks to veer off to the left and right respectively, keeping them from hitting our protagonists!

"It's an attack-diversion spell!" Sara realized. "And there's ANOTHER spell in here that's just popped up!"

"Read it, Sara!" Shush suggested.

Sara nodded, reading this OTHER new spell. "**TOBIKOMI!**"

BA-BOOIIIIIING!

Shush's feet/paws glowed and she SHOT into the air like a bullet, hovering before Jam. "BOOGA-BOOGA-BOOGA!" She laughed.

"You FLY?!" Jam asked, holding up a fist.

"No…JUMP GOOD!" Shush laughed, holding up her feet and now KICKING off the air, shooting away and bouncing off pillars over and over. "None of your attacks will hit me, slow poke!"

"We'll see about THAT!" Ri shouted. **"REDAGUN!**"

THWUDDA-WHDDAA! The multi-ray plasma attack soared from Jam's wings, but Sara read from the book AGAIN. "**TOBIKOMI!**"

Giggling madly, Shush bounded left and right and up and down, laughing all the while. "Ha-ha-ha-ha! You're not gonna catch me like THAT!" She insisted.

"You're right. ATTACK THE NUN!" Leroy shouted.

Squee blinked. "WHAT?!" He said. "Now hold on, I'm not blasting a nun! That's…no way. Just NO." He insisted.

"Yeah, I gotta admit, firing on a nun would kinda make me go to hell." Ri insisted.

Leroy smacked his face while his partner sniggered. "WHY is good help so hard to find?!"

"Cuz you're evil!" Shush shouted. "AND a coward! Unlike Sara!"

...Sara…

She'd met her partner ages ago. And she'd been confused. VERY confused.

Yeah, Page had been a God-loving, "Brother and Sister" sort of guy but not that many people had really UNDERSTOOD the whole "God" deal he talked about. Nor his stories of priests and nuns. Then Shush had actually met a nun.

"What do you mean, you don't fight?"

"I'm a pacifist." She insisted. "I don't believe in using violence. We study and work hard to contribute to the world. We bake, we work in the fields, tilling the land, we look after stray animals and children who have no homes…"

"Sounds like a lot of work…" Shush said. "I just like stealing battle plans and stuff."

"Thou shalt not steal. It's one of the commandments, Shush." Sara had told him. "But the sins of the flesh aren't as bad as the sins of the spirit. If you think someone else's opinions, their hopes, their dreams are worthless, COMPLETELY worthless, and that they will never be as good as you…that makes you quite evil." Sara frowned. "We nuns don't believe in looking down on others but in trying to accept and love them…so we don't fight."

"…that…that's actually…kinda cool." Shush admitted. "A real resolve to not fight…you sounded cooler just now than most of my other experiments ever had with their boasting. I think we're gonna be great partners!"

"Oh, I hope so." Sara said, smiling. "But…please stop peeking in my underwear drawer…"

…

…

…

… "Sara probably HATES what's she doing right now! She doesn't like to fight, yet she knows that the only way to stop you is to keep doing what she's doing now…reading spells to stop you from hurting our friends! Fine, so they're only status-effecting, SO WHAT?!" Shush growled. "I'll still do everything I can to help my buddies!"

"That's so SWEET. I'll have it engraved on your tombstone. Now…Ri…if you DON'T fire on the nun…" Leroy grinned evilly. "I am going to do very terrible things to you…and over and over and OVER AND OVER"

Ri began to shiver madly. He couldn't take it. He found himself opening the book and yelling out the spell…

"**SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**"

"NO!" Shush screamed as she saw the attack whizz down at Sara, who opened up the book.

"**TOBIKOMI!**"

"SAAAAAARAAAAAAA!!!!"Shush screamed, kicking off the air and rushing forward, the purple/black energy attack looming closer…CLOSER…

SHCA-WHOOOOOM!

Shush grabbed tightly ahold of Sara and they went soaring through the air. She had propelled her book-keeper to safety but…

The book…was now burning up.

Sara and Shush hit the ground and Sara's cap came off, exposing more of her long hair. She blinked as Shush began to cry, burying her face in her paws as she lay on her knees.

"No…NO…this wasn't supposed to happen…I tried so hard…I was finally working just as hard as you were…"

Her body began to dissapate into little pink flashes of light. Jam held one clawed paw up to his face and he rested it on his forehead, cackling. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! All of it was for NOTHING!"

"SHUSH…" Chops murmured. "Not you too…you haven't hurt a single person…you didn't deserve this." He said, looking away as the others began to cry.

"Hmm…"

Shush's ears quivered. Her head shot up.

"You know…"

Everyone turned their heads slowly to look at the source of the voice.

"It says a LOT about me that this ISN'T the weirdest thing I've ever seen." Nick Grey commented, arms folded across his chest.

"He's ALIVE?!?" Jam shouted.

"**Holy**-" Heatwave began.

"WOAH. He's TALL." Squee remarked.

"He's CUTE too." Lillith added.

"NICK!" Yuuku shouted.

"NICK!" Dude yelled.

"NICK!" Sara gasped.

"GREAT GOOGLY-MOOGLY!" Spud proclaimed.

"N-N-N…" Chops finally could not hold "the happy" in. His eyes wide, a joyful expression on his face, he raced towards Nick, arms held wide out. "NIIIIIIIIIICK!" He exclaimed with joy.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Jam roared, rushing at them.

"Uh, Chops? Face him, please?" Nick asked.

Chopsuey turned around and thrust both hands forward.

"**IADEO-IEDO!**" Nick yelled out, grinning.

THWUDDA-BAWHAAAAAM!

Chopsuey's entire body SURGED with a green aura of power that shot out from his body, turning him into a star before two ENORMOUS fist-shaped blasts of energy rushed forward as the green experiment swung his fists, the two aura blasts striking Jam's head and stomach, knocking him through the air and making him hit the ground so hard that a little crater formed.

"_The attack…has gotten…STRONGER?!" _Jam realized.

"You did a great job, stalling for time." Nick said, turning to Shush, who looked SORT OF surprised. "I had an out-of-body experience while I was resting…I found out about EVERYTHING. I guess you could say I've been sorta "enlightened"." He waved his hand in the air, wiggling it slightly to make the "ehhh" gesture. "Granted it's only a LITTLE bit, but hey…" He shrugged. "I'll take what I can get!"

"Sara…I've gots to go now." Shush said quietly as her body continued to dissapate. She rubbed the back of her head. "But…I want you to know…that it was amazing being with you. When I get back, I'm gonna stop being so kinky! I'll see a shrink if I have to! And I'll try working as hard as you do and stop taking credit for other people's ideas and plans."

"I'm just glad you didn't learn a single hurtful spell." Sara said, taking Shush's fading paw and holding it gently. "I'm so lucky…God gave me YOU."

"…you're all great people. And when you save Crystallene…tell her I'm super sorry." Shush asked just before she vanished into the air.

Nick clenched his fist. Then he turned his head to look at the pillars where the others were imprisoned in…

And THEN he looked at Leroy.

"Leroy…you shouldn't have done this to my _ohana_." He said, shaking his head and folding his arms across his chest. Then he opened his eyes and gave the red experiment a smile that made the evil being feel filled with a paralyzing, nameless fear. "Cuz I'm gonna fucking _**KILL**_ you." He said cheerfully.

"EEK." Chops said, eyes going wide. Nick had said the "F" word. This meant only one thing: the volcano that was Nick Grey was about to BLOW.

"_Uhoh_." Lillith squeaked out, a bead of sweat pouring down her cheek.

"GUAAAAH…" Jam gasped.

Sneak's mouth was so wide open you could have shoved a TAXI into it.

"Uhhhh…I think I just peed my pants." Ri announced, legs knocking together.

"You're not the only one!" Squeaked Squee, who had pulled his t-shirt above his head and was "hiding".

A pillar of beautiful light shot up into the Heavens from Nick's book as he held it up.

Oh YEAH. IT…WAS…**ON**.

**Review! It's gonna be so intense I don't wanna give away anything in a preview!**


	60. How Much Time Does It Take

**CHAPTER SIXTY**

**どれくらいの時間は、世界を救うになるのだろうか？**

**How Much Time Does It Take To Save The World?**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------- **

"You know, maybe we should just get out of here and go play video games." Lillith suggested.

"WHAT?" Leroy gave her a look like she was retarded. "Why would you say that? He's a twelve-year-old boy in a Hawaiian t-shirt with a stupid mood necklace. I'm NOT scared of him. Why would you say we should go?"

"Because the word "DOOM" keeps a-flashin' in my mind." Lillith remarked, shrugging.

For some reason, everyone else felt it too. The word "Koyaanisqatsi" was being repeated in a creepy monastic chant as Nick gazed intently and angrily at Leroy and the others.

Then the music stopped. He turned around. "HEY! Why am I the only one giving the evil eye! And Spud, you're giving LAZY EYE!"

"It's all I've got, dude!"

"Nonsense!" Nick insisted. "Now dig deep, and one…two…"

They all turned and glared at Leroy and his lackeys.

_**KOYAAAAAAANISQATSI…**_

_**KOYAAAAAAANISQATSI…**_

"…and break!" Everyone stopped. "Nice!" Nick complimented. "VERY nice. Especially you, Chops!"

"Yeah, uh, don't be TOO proud, I started thinking about how Stitch literally wiped the floor with me one time and that got me SUPER mad…" Chopsuey said in an apologetic tone, rubbing the back of his neck and looking down at the ground.

"Really? He LITERALLY wiped the floor with you? That musta been annoying." Squee remarked.

"Yeah, I got dust bunnies AND gum in my Mohawk!" Chopsuey said sadly, patting his "life" at the top of his head.

"Well at least you have a partner that TALKS BACK to you." Squee said sadly. "All Sneak does is hiss. So I don't get how he could give up his ability to speak seeing as he didn't' speak before…"

"Yeah, it's true, I've never actually heard him TALK. Weirdooooo." Lillith sniggered.

"I guess he gave up his ability to hiss. Try hissing!" Nick suggested.

Sneak opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"…wow, that IS sad. BUT I'm still gonna fucking kill Leroy." Nick informed them all.

"In the words of EVERY supervillain that ever was…DESTROY THEEEEEMMM!" Leroy shouted, pointing angrily at the kid.

Sneak rushed through the air, since Jam was kind of…incapacitated. Nick calmly flipped his book back open and…

"**IADEO-IEDO!**"

SCHUDDA-BOOOOM!

The two fist-shaped aura blasts…now LARGER than before…whizzed through the air and struck home, blasting Sneak and sending the reptilian experiment flying through the air, making him knock against a pillar and groan in pain. Jam shielded his eyes, gritting his teeth as the shockwave rippled through him.

"He HAS gotten stronger…" Leroy thought, his lips a taut line.

Nick turned to everyone else. "I'm sorry I was late you guys." He apologized. "You wouldn't BELIIIIIEVE the trip I took while I was conked out! I saw the merging point of all worlds!"

"Wow, really?" Yuuku asked. "What else did you see?"

"I saw stars, I saw beautiful music swirling together like light, I saw the adventures of a thousand different do-gooders!"

"Did you see dead people?" Spud wisecracked.

"No…but I see I have new speeeeeells? Who wants a butt kicking?" Nick asked Jam. "Or TWO!?" He added, turning to Sneak.

"I see that being beaten quite literally to death didn't do ANYTHING to change your attitude." Leroy mumbled. "Would you mind forcibly changing his attitude via intense brutality?" He asked of Jam and Sneak.

"**STRISCIARE!**" Squee yelled out. Sneak's pockets opened up and LOTS of hissing snakes rushed forward!

"Snakes. Why snakes? I LIKE snakes." Nick said, shaking his head. "Alright, ready…aim…"

Chops raised his palms up.

"FI—YAAAAH!" Nick laughed. "**IADEO-IEDO!**"

THWOOSH!

SCHABOOOOM!

The multiple-aura-snake attack was BLOWN to smithereens, much to Squee's amazement. "Holy COW!" He shouted as Sneak stood atop a pillar, blinking in surprise. "This is more freaky than the time I got stranded in that green kids house and-"

"BEHIND YOU, you IDIOT!" Jam shouted.

Squee and Sneak turned out just in time to see Chops had rushed up a nearby pillar and was grinning, holding up his palms AGAIN.

"**IADEO-IEDO!**"

SCHABOOOOOM! Another double blast sent Sneak flying through the air and Squee squealed. "YIKES! How did he-"

Then he looked up through the bag on Sneak's back he was within and saw Chops had jumped clear over him and was now on a pillar facing them AGAIN! Luckily Squee reacted quickly and read off a spell. "**AUGULIS**!"

Sneak's head BULGED out and enlarged as his maw opened wide and stretched out to engulf Chopsuey…

"**PERCUTIO-IADEO-IEDO!" **Nick read out.

SCHOOM! A metallic ball shout out from Chops's palms, sliding into the HEAD of Sneak, who blinked, hearing BEEPING inside his mind, and then…

Then the two fist blasts hit his forehead before he could reach the green experiment.

KRAKA-BOOOOOOOOOM!

The two fists blasts struck hard and he struck the ground on his side, quivering madly, blood OOZING down from his body as he struggled to get to his knees. Squee was nervously shaking inside his sack.

"Maybe if I close my eyes the ogres will go away!" He squeaked out.

"Use your STRONGEST SPELL!" Jam shouted. "Thanks to the Blessing, you've got new power unlocked, DON'T YOU?"

Squee looked down at the book as Chopsuey folded his arms. "Tick…tock…tick…tock." The green experiment remarked, bobbing his head left and right.

"Oh I hope this is impressive!" Squee gulped. "**SHINJA-SENNEN!**"

Drawing himself to full height and clenching his claws, Sneak's body glowed brightly…and then his body shuddered as he released a FOUR large, rainbow-scaled serpents made of glistening aura from his body that soared towards Chopsuey.

"PREEEETTY." Nick said. "It's so majestic and…beautiful! Too bad I gotta blow it up with MY new spell. **CREDERE POSTHAC!**"

Chopsuey held up his palms and a beautiful rainbow aura surrounded them, swirling around as he extended his extra arms. Suddenyl ENORMOUS weapons appeared in his hands, made of shimmering aura. They appeared to be cannons, and POWERFUL ones too…the shafts gleamed brightly, a laser scope held up on top of each of them, little missile launchers sticking out of their sides…

CHA-WHANK! And NOW a "scouter" covered Chopsuey's right eye along as two two large box-like things attached to his shoulders and opened to reveal themselves to be MISSILE LAUNCHERS! Finally, for good measure, Chops's maw opened up, and small beams of light began to converge at a single point in front of his maw, forming a large, glowing white orb…

"Holy cow, he's got more arms than the WACKIEST god in all of INDIA!!!" Yuuku shouted.

"Now THAT'S what I call "Pimp My Partner"." Spud said, nodding his head.

KA-CHIK! CHUDDA-CHUDDA-CHUDDA! The guns unloaded onto the serpents, forcing them back and cracking all of their scales. KAWHOOSH! The missile launchers raced forward and OBLITERATED the snakes into nothingness and then…

THA-SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The brilliant ball of white light WHIZZED towards Sneak himself, who's eyes bugged out. He covered his face with his claws and his legs knocked together as Squee braced for impact…

And with an ENORMOUS sound that sounded like a trumpet blast echoing everywhere, Sneak was sent to the ground, a crater forming around his bloodied, bruised and now smoking body. The sack on his back vanished as his form returned to that of a helmeted, jacket-wearing snake and Squee was deposited on the ground nearby…his book burning.

"WOAH. He got pushed down EASY." Spud remarked.

"Yeah, Nick's powered up the book!" Yuuku realized.

"Makes me almost wanna get MYSELF killed." Dude said, shrugging.

Sneak began to dissapate into bright green points of light that were flying up into the air. He turned his head over to look at Squee…

And much to everyone…and I DO mean EVERYONE'S surprise…spoke.

"I guess this is…goodbye…" He said softly, hissing a little.

Squee's eyes bugged out. "Wh-WHAAAAA?! You…you can actually SPEAK? You can do more than HISS?" He looked confused. "But…what was keeping you from speaking BEFORE? Even your name, you…you didn't tell me that, I had to find out from other experiments!" Squee said, flailing his arms in the air. "Why didn't you ever TALK?" Squee begged, and they saw he was now crying. "I had a lot of stuff I wanted to talk to you about…my family, my life, my friends, the weird things I've seen in Philly!"

"…I…I was _shy_…" Sneak said softly, and they saw HE was crying too. Nick immediately stopped smiling, and he looked down and to the side, biting his lip. "Back at the lab I never had the courage to say "no" to Jumba when he wanted me to do a mission, even if I hated what he was asking me to do…eventually I just stopped talking back…and then stopped talking at all. I've always followed stronger people's orders, even if I didn't like them, because…I was too shy to stand up for myself…"

He closed his eyes, squeezing the tears out. Soon he'd be totally gone. "I hope I get to talk to you again…to see you again…because I wanted to talk about a lot of things with YOU too, Squee…"

And like that…he was gone. Squee stood there, sniffling softly as Nick turned to the others. "Guys, let's…do this quickly. How much time until Senkoukura reaches Hawaii?"

"Five minutes." Leroy announced. "And uh…it SEEMS Jam's recovered too. Isn't that nice?"

"No. NOT nice. OPPOSITE of nice! BAD!" Nick could imagine Pleakley saying as Jam rose back into the air, smirking…his WINGS and body returned to their powered-up state!

"I've got a new healing factor in me now! I'm a "Wolverine"!"

"Okay, fine, you're Wolverine. Chops, time for some role-playing! He's Wolverine, you're Molly Hayes, and you're to clock him so hard he'll never live the shame down."

"Wait a tick…I read "Runaways" too!" Chops complained. "She's a girl who wears KITTY CAPS!"

"Yeah, well, she can bench-press Rhode Island too."

"…I can live with that." Chops said, shrugging as Ri raised his book up and Jam raised his wings.

"**SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**"

TWHOOOM! The wing blast attack soared towards Chops, but Nick put up his own book. "ADVERSOR!" he shouted.

THA-WHOMP! The glowing aura shield of green shot up, the attack hit it and…much to Jam's horror…bounded back and BLASTED him through the air.

"GYAAAAAHHHH!" He screamed flailing around in mid-air and snarling. "RI! Use "REDAGUN"!" He shouted out.

"Right! **REDAGUN**!" Ri read out as Jam spread his wings out and fired the rapid-blast attack which whizzed towards Chops and Nick…

"Nice trick. Here's a treat…ANOTHER new spell!" Nick roared out. "**THE EIGHTH SPELL…NOMEN EXSOLVERE!" **

Chops jumped into the air and clenched his fists, then thrust them forward, opening them up to reveal glowing points of white light which shot out in multiple directions and BLASTED the rapid-fire attack Jam had been using to smithereens…and ONE of the points of light struck him in the nose. He squeaked angrily as he rubbed his now-broken nose, a baleful glare on his batty face.

"Odd…Nick's acting like he knows exactly what the spells do…but he's never even USED them before…" Yuuku said.

"He's been on the path to ENLIGHTENMENT, man. He knows EEEEEVERYTHING." Dude said, giving them the peace sign. "It's groovy, dude. It ain't just Chops that got stronger."

"Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. And since actually KILLING Nick didn't really do the job, Nick's practically-" Spud began.

"I'm No Superman!" Nick sang out.

"…okay, maybe he hasn't changed as much as we thought he had…" Spud said.

"**SAIKYOU-KONSHIN!**"

The attack surged towards Nick and Chopsuey and an ENORMOUS explosion tore up the ground, sending dust clouds everywhere. "YES! I got 'em!" Jam thought out loud, beginning to dance around in the air. "Suck it you little!-"

Then he heard a whistle and looked up. Nick was in the air, just above Chopsuey. Chops had grabbed ahold of Nick, run to the side, climbed up a pillar and kicked off.

"Aloha. Because in Hawaii it means hello…AND goodbye." Nick said with a smile. "**THE NINTH SPELL…ERUDITUS IEDO!**""

"EEP." Jam squeaked out.

Chopsuey spread his body wide and thrust his fists forward as his two extra arms came out…now FOUR "Iadeo-Iedo" attacks merged together to become one glowing, righteous fist of PAIN that slammed full into Jam, WHAMMING him into the ground and reducing his wings to skeletal shells and covering him with bloodied bruises.

"Wow, lookit the size of that CRATER." Yuuku remarked as Nick and Chopsuey landed back on the ground and walked over to the others.

"Oh look…" Leroy checked a non-existent watch. "WE'RE HERE."

…

…

…

… "Uh…Stitch…you MIGHT wanna come out here!" Lilo announced.

Stitch rubbed his eyes, then hopped out of bed and walked down the stairs to head outside, mumbling. "Alright, alright, what is it?"

He looked up and his mouth fell so far open you could have fit a watermelon into it.

"THAT!" She screamed.

"D-D-DRAAAAAGOOOOOONNNNN!!!" Victoria screamed from her house. Oh if ONLY Snooty was there!

"How in the?!?" Myrtle shrieked, clinging to her mom for dear life as her friends eyes bugged out. In horror. People ran to and fro in the street, panicking like mad as Senkoukura lazily looked the island over.

"Alright, now let's fire the BIG GUN." Leroy said. "What was it called again?" He asked Heatwave.

"…the **Ranpu Shougekiha **or "Light Shockwave"." Heatwave mumbled.

"Right. SENKOUKURA!" He shouted. "FIRE THE LIGHT SHOCKWAVE!"

"OH NO!" Nick and Chopsuey screamed.

"OH NO!" Yuuku and Dude cried out.

"OH NO!" Sara and Spud gasped.

"OH, YEAH!" Leroy laughed, imitating the "Kool-Aid" dude.

Senkoukura lowered it's arms slightly, then raised them up as light built up in it's opened maw, swirling around to reach a center point, a large ball of teeming energy. It clenched it's fists, let out a mighty roar, and then the ray of burning light shot forth, swirling through the air…

And, as it were…he fired up into space. All it did was hit a satellite, obliterating it into pieces.

"…I'm passing out now." Myrtle announced, falling to the ground.

"Yeaaaah." Her posse agreed, following suit.

"It…MISSED!" Lilo gasped. "How the…somehow I get a feeling NICK is involved in this…"

"Isn't his partner 621? Chopsuey?" Stitch asked, turning his head to look up at her. "What do you think they're up to?"

WHAT THEY WERE UP TO:

"May I have this "Happy Dance"?"

"You may."

Sara and Spud were doh-see-doh-ing as Nick Dude headbanged to a Jimi Hendrix tune only HE could hear and Nick and Yuuku were bounding around, whooping in celebration while Leroy slammed his fists on his "throne".

"HOW COULD HE MISS?!?" Leroy howled.

"Oh, that would be MY doing."

"OUR doing."

Leroy blinked at the sound of those particular voices. "Who the…"

"Eclipse! Chibi!" Heatwave said happily.

"Hey there, auntie!" Eclipse said over the intercom system. "We fiddled with the aiming system some more."

"Now he couldn't hit the broad side of a BARN! Hey, watch us punch ourselves!" Chibi offered happily.

"No, no, then we up in the brain room would all go flying." Heatwave told Chibisuke.

"I want…to know…WHY." Chops growled suddenly, taking a few steps forward and clenching a fist up at Leroy. "I want to know…WHY…you've been doing all of this!!!" He snarled.

"You want to know WHY?" Leroy growled. "Alright…I'll indulge you, greenie!"

Leroy leapt through the air and slammed his fist down at Chopsuey and an intense fight back. Slinging punches left and right, Chops and Leroy did the "_danse macabre_", giving all they had. Leroy suddenly dropped to one knee and tried to do a sweeping kick, but Chops leapt up…

BA-BAM! And Leroy slammed his body into him, and the two went down to the ground, growling and snarling and slashing at each other with their claws. At last Chopsuey managed to uppercut Leroy away and he sailed into a pillar, breaking it into a thousand pieces as he came crashing down.

Emerging from the wreckage, Leroy clenched his claws and glared at Chopsuey. "I was created by none other than that annoying brother of that stupid rat who's been helping you out!" He hissed. "I…am a FAILED…STITCH!"

They all blinked in surprise as Leroy went on. "Jacques made me after observing Stitch in action. He and Jumby combined their massive brainpower in an attempt to perfectly replicate Stitch using samples of his DNA that he'd left behind at various fight scenes…but he messed up the coding, snapped one too many chains and moved wrong link to WRONGER link…he's skilled, both he AND his brother, but they didn't have the mathematical prowess needed to put the pieces in place! They wanted another Stitch…they got ME…and not even the me you see before you!"

He snarled hatefully. "My book was thrown away…I was DISCARDED…a disgusting, barely-breathing WRECK of a thing left to die in a dump…but what he'd forgotten was that I'd maintained an ability to heal quickly from wounds, the same way Stitch does…and in time my battered, ruined body changed as I clung to life, DIGGING for scraps in the dump…"

"And then I found him." Lillith said. "And his book. I'd been thrown away too…" She said quietly. "I thought the dump was where I belonged. And look what I found! The greatest present anybody had ever given me! We decided to work together…"

"But the worst part is…NONE OF MY SPELLS WORKED!" Leroy snarled.

"**GIGANO PUNCHITO!**"

Leroy clenched his fists and suddenly two ENORMOUS fist-shaped auras rose over his paws. He rushed forward at Chopsuey and began to PUMMEL him with the large aura fists as lightning struck into Chops's body with each blast.

"Lillith could read the spells, but none of them worked! I was beaten over and over again and forced to rip and tear and bite and claw with my bare hands!" Leroy screamed. "We lived alone, out in the wilderness, in shacks and abandoned huts with enemies all around us looking to jump our bones! For MONTHS I had to defeat my opponents with my bare hands! And YOU…YOU!!!"

He punched Chopsuey to the side and the fist-shaped auras faded as Leroy's body shook with fury. "I didn't have any stupid _OHANA_! I didn't have a home to go to! My own creator THREW ME AWAY! But you know what…" He smirked. "I don't blame HIM. Or YOU. OR your partner. Because the problem is this world. Nobody really cares about anybody else except those closest to them. Their family. Their friends. That's it. Nothing more. So you know what? The world is at fault, and the world has got to go." Leroy reasoned calmly.

The hateful glare in Nick's eyes would not only have killed him if looks could kill, but would have sent Leroy to the deepest depths of HELL as well.

"You are FUCKED-UP." Nick snarled. "Chops was angry and upset because he wanted attention and love from Jumba who completely ignored him once 626 was made. I was upset because my family practically abandoned me out in Hawaii. Just because you had a bad life doesn't mean you should blame the world…you're…you're just…"

His body began to quiver angrily as a horrid black light seemed to enter his body. "You'rejustanevilmonsterIamgoingtoripoutyourskulland-"

Chops got up, his own body quivering, the same hateful aura rising around him. "YoustinkingsonofabitchingbastardI'mgonnaeatyourbonesand-"

"UH…OH…" Dude said. "BAD KARMA, maaaan."

"**KIMAIRA!!!**" Nick screamed out.

Well, Chopsuey's body surged with power and he summoned the mighty beast, but NOW…

It had changed. The fangs curved at the ends of the lion-like head, the fur was BRISTLING and black, the snake-as-tail had horns running up and down it's body and it's muscles BULGED, but above all…the eyes…burning like stars that were about to die and become black holes, dark, soulless things…

"I've never seen such…HATRED…from a spell…" Leroy gasped. Then he grinned. "Ah, good…something can match MY hatred…"

He snapped his fingers. "Lillith, if you please?"

"**KOUKEN-KIRAI!**" Lillith read out from her own book.

THA-WHOOOOOOM!

A burning black blast of energy soared up from Leroy's body and took form…now, before their eyes, was a VERY powerful-looking beast made of black aura. Skeletal wings…eyes blacker than night…seven arms, three on each side, one in the middle of it's chest, palm open…claws instead of fingers and a whispy tail…

"After being forcibly SLAUGHTERED by a brave group of fanon experiments in the tournament held 100 years ago, Samael's spirit lingered on in this world…and guess who he chose as his charge? The one to wield his power…is ME. And…" He grinned. "It's a neat little power too! GO!"

Samael's chest hand glowed brightly and a purging beam of light shot forth towards the chimera made of aura and for a few moments, as the beam of light and the chimera grabbled, it was hard to tell who was going to win-

"Oh my GOD…" Nick gasped, seeing something horrible. Chops was becoming weaker and weaker, his body turning BLACK before their eyes as chunks of the greenness that had once been on his body flew up into the chimera…

And then everything exploded and they all had to shield their eyes…

…

…

…

…Jumba lay on the ground, groaning horridly. He'd attempted to reach something from the top shelf. Running over to his side, Mohawk bouncing slightly, 621 kneeled.

"Jumba, what's wrong?"

"Leg…displaced…" He gasped out. "Get 626. Get Stitch!"

Chopsuey's eyes went wide. He nodded, then ran out the door, and Jumba looked back down at his right leg, not seeing the tears that Chopsuey wiped away with one arm.

Stitch. Get STITCH.

…….it wasn't fair.

…

…

…

… "What WAS that?" Leroy groaned as he got back up, rubbing his head. "Was that…621's memory? How did…"

Then he blinked, looking down at the unconscious 621, who lay flat on his face, with Nick right behind him. 621's body had turned completely black…almost as if…

The spell had eaten away at not only his physical strength but at his very SELF! The "Kimaira" spell had sucked up Chopsuey's BEING into itself to power it's attack, and upon being destroyed, the memories had exploded EVERYWHERE…and one had gone into him.

Leroy frowned. Nick was BURNT. BADLY. But STILL he was now crawling towards 621. "C'mon…Chops! Wake up!"

"Hold on, buddy!"

Leroy and Lillith blinked in surprise as Spud poured some healing juice from Sara's thermos onto Chops, smiling. "You're gonna be good as new, Choppy!"

"What…the?!" Leroy blinked.

Spud held his finger up, pointing dramatically. "YOU CAN'T BEAT US, LEROY! We're the GOOD GUYS! AND THE GOOD GUYS ALWAYS WIN!"

"…you took that from a comic book."

"…I did." Spud admitted, blushing.

"Okay. Here's something ELSE from a comic book." Leroy raised a palm up to unleash an attack to BLAST Spud into potato chip-shaped pieces. "Bye-bye, time to fry-"

THWIP!

CHA-CHUNK!

"Wh-wh-WHAAAAAA?!?" Leroy screamed, looking at his arm…there was now a HORRID hole that had been shot into it, via a bullet. "Who the HELL-"

"**KEMURI!**"

FWOOOOSH! The entire place became filled with black smoke. Coughing and spluttering, Leroy looked around. "JAMESOOOOON! NOSYYYYYY!"

With Dude grabbing Chopsuey's unconscious form, and Nick being helped along by Spud, Nosy ran alongside them, grinning. "Allow ME to quote from a JAPANESE comic book! Being a hero is all about that "in the nick of time" stuff!"

"Wow, thanks for helping!" Nick said happily.

"Actually I'm REALLY helping because Ahinahina threatened to eat me."

"I do like pork." Ahinahina remarked, racing ahead with Jameson right nearby. "AND I'm partial to RED…MEAT…" He added, looking Jameson up and down. Mr. Jameson's red hair quivered as he nervously bit his lip.

"Y'know I know I look meaty, but I'm really very CHEWY!" He whined.

Unfortunately the sound of Lillith casting "Punchito" told them that they needed to hide. Ducking behind pillars, all of them held their breath as Leroy looked around.

"Come out, come out, wherever you aaaaaare!" Leroy called out. "Once I get my hands on you I'm gonna put a "fisten" in your F—KING head and F—K your brain hole you-"

"**KEMURI!**"

KA-CHING!

Leroy ducked JUST in time to avoid another bullet being shot at him from some point as smoke shielded his gaze from seeing the others run off. Then Lillith frowned and rubbed her chin.

"…to the right." She said.

"Ah."

CHOOMP!

Leroy had now CAUGHT a bullet in his hands. It was warm to the touch…no wait…it WASN'T. Smoking, yes, but the bullet wasn't hot. Why?

Because a crystal is NOT a conductor of heat.

From up above a large pillar in the distance, Wyn grinned and turned to Bonnie, who held up a sniper rifle, a large scouter covering both eyes and a pulsing crystal stuck at the top end of the shaft, pulsing brightly as she readied herself for another round. "Bang-bang…she'll shoot ya down! Bang-bang! You'll hit the ground! Bang-bang…that lovely sound! Bang-bang…my Bonnie shot you down!" Wyn sniggered.

"Focuuuuuuus!" Bonnie hissed.

"Sorry. Aim at creepy!"

"Female creepy or male creepy?"

"FEMALE."

Lillith quickly dove to the side just as another crystalline bullet shot out. It whizzed through the air…and knicked her leg!

"OW! MOTHER OF HELL!" She yelled.

"Don't just stand there, cast a-" Leroy began, holding his palm in the direction of the shooting. Then he actually REALIZED what he was doing.

THWICK!

SCHLUNKA!

"AAAAAAA!!!" Leroy howled, holding onto his palm. "YOU LITTLE BITCH!" He screamed, seeing Bonnie and glaring hatefully. He raised his other palm as Lillith got up, but then saw Bonnie was grinning.

"What's so FUNNY?" He snarled.

"If you're so smart…how come you never heard of a distraction, tough guy?" Bonnie asked.

Leroy whirled around to see…all of the people in the pillars had been broken out! White grinned as he led Crystallene, Heartwing, Morpholomew and Heatwave back towards the others and gave Bonnie a thumbs up. "It's all good over here!" He shouted.

Lillith raised her book. "**FISTEN!**"

Wyn jumped to the side…Bonnie did too…

But the book was caught in the blast. As the two landed down on the ground, Wyn turned and watched as Bonnie smiled at him. "I'm gonna go see Clyde now…" She said quietly. "You were a GREAT partner, Wyn. I'll tell ya what I toldja when we first met…" She laughed softly. "Don't ever change who you are."

"…thanks." Wyn said. "You know, you were the first person to ever say that to me."

He gave her a hug… and she was gone.

Meanwhile, Crystallene had healed the others with "Ministro-Socius", but the problem was…Chops wasn't waking up. It was just like the time that Nick had been lost, only now it wasn't his BODY that was sapped, but his very soul…

"CHOPS!" Nick yelled. "C'MON! I went through death to help you! You can't be gone! You CAN'T!!!" He screamed, sobbing as he beat his fists on the ground, body shaking madly.

"Please don't be gone, Chops…" Morpholomew begged.

Heartwing just buried his face in Dude's legs and cried and cried, bawling horribly while Sara began to pray like mad and Crystallene stood there, unmoving, eyes wide as her partner stood stock still as well.

"You'll…all…die…" Leroy hissed.

"**KOUKEN-KIRAI!**" Lillith read from the book as Leroy's body surged with burning black power that took the form of the diabolical experiment who's chest-palm opened up and began to generate a powerful beam that would ANNHILATE them all…

No.

NO.

First Nick had f—king DIED. Time after time she'd seen her friends sent back, or hurt badly or STUCK IN PILLARS and she had been unable to do anything.

NO…FREAKING…MORE…

"**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!**" Crystallene howled, her pink body SURGING with beautiful white light that shot up into the sky as her book glowed more brightly than ever before…

Yuuku's cry roared up to the heavens. ""**THE SEVENTH SPELL…TAM ENIXE DEFENDERE!**"

PAWHOOOOM! As Crystallene spread her arms forward, suddenly they appeared, rising up around her…girls! Girl experiments they'd all met! All of them were standing before the oncoming beam and all of them had grown to enormous proportions! Holding their paws and hands and such up, they glared intently at Leroy and their bodies shone like gold as a beautiful light shot out from their palms, stopping the blast in place…

"The girl's been beaten left and right! Her friend Kixx betrayed her, a bunch of jerks ruined the good time she was trying to have at the park…" Kila's spirit spoke up.

"Her dear buddy Page got sent back and she never got the chance to say goodbye!" Sketch shotued out.

"My hermana-in-arms has had to watch YOUR lackeys treat HER friends like crap!" Carmen snarled.

"And worst of all, Nick DIED and now CHOPS is on the verge of death himself!" Bonnie growled.

"We shall take her sorrow…and it will become the love she feels in her heart for them…the desire she has to protect them from harm!" Precious yelled. "THIS IS HER UNSELFISHNESS!"

SHCHOOOMA-BOOOOOM!

The attack REBOUNDED on Leroy, who barely managed to get to the side in time along with Lillith as it DESTROYED the summoned aura form of Samael. As the dust settled, the spirits of the female experiments faded and everyone looked intently at Leroy and Lillith, they saw Lillith was gripping her book tightly.

"I'm…out." She muttered hatefully.

"…out of spells? NOW?!" Leroy asked. Then he shrugged. "Well…luckily, that's what good help is for. JAM!"

He whistled, and sure enough, who should suddenly step out from behind a pillar, healed once again…but Jam and Ri.

"Now then…are you ready to deal with them? For GOOD? They're almost on their last legs." Leroy asked Ri.

Ri nodded simply. "Sure thing, master."

Jam heard it. He frowned, eyes glinting.

MASTER? Ri never called ANYONE master!

"Ri…use the blade spell." He said quietly.

"**REDAHANE!**" Ri said

Jam's wings stiffened up…and then he WHIRLED around, aiming at Leroy, who's eyes went wide. He managed to duck to the side just in time to avoid having his shoulder and arm cut off. "WHAT do you think you're doing, disobeying your msater?!" He snarled.

"You can't use spells anymore." Jam hissed. "And YOU…are NOT…my MASTER!" He roared out.

Yet they could see SOMETHING was wrong with Jam…right before their eyes, little pieces of skin were coming off of his upgraded, gargoyle-like body, sizzling as they fell to the floor.

"He's got that Blessing because he agreed to obey Leroy…" Nick realized. "Since Leroy still has that gem he got from Heatwave in his head…that means that he can take the power away just as easily as he GAVE it…and maybe take Jam's LIFE too…"

**REVIEW! We've reached the end of this arc...the next chapter will be the last one for the arc. (Gives thumbs up)**


	61. A Standing Ovation for the True Heroes!

**CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE**

**真の英雄のための総立ちの拍手喝采を！**

**A Standing Ovation for the True Heroes!**

**-----------------------------------------------**

Bonnie was gone. Sneak was gone. Chops was VERY close to being gone. And right now somebody else was knocking on death's door…

Jam had turned against Leroy. The gem in the red experiment's head glowing brightly, he watched with an interested expression as Jam looked up at him with a big snarl.

"Why on EARTH are you fighting against me?" Leroy inquired, folding his arms across his chest.

"Like I said…you're NOT my master. And I WON'T let my book keeper call you master EITHER! He deserves better than THAT!" Jam swore, pointing a finger angrily at Leroy, eyes narrowing.

Ri immediately blushed a little. Jam was being so…protective of him!

"Well, if I were you, I would be a lot more careful about picking the right TIME to betray your benefactor." Leroy remarked. "Because there's one foe you still have yet to defeat…"

"What? One lackey's still left?" Nosy looked around, he was closest to Jam and Ri. But as he glanced left and right, he frowned. There wasn't anybody else besides THEM inside this place!

"Ri, do YOU see anyone else here who has a problem with me ripping Leroy's head off?" He asked.

Ri looked over at our protagonists.

"Naw, we're fine." Nick insisted. "Go ahead. Go crazy."

"Yeah, you go, gargoyle." Crystallene said.

"Smite him." Sara proclaimed.

"Yeah, for great justice!" Morpholomew proclaimed.

"…riiiiiiight." Jam sighed, then leapt up into the air. "Hungry? Why don't you have a WING?!?" He snarled, swerving the sharpest tip of his wing at Leroy, who just rolled his eyes…

Because the mechanical wing that was attached to Jam's powered-up body stopped…quivered…then STRUCK.

But struck into HIS STOMACH. Jam gasped in pain as he fell down to Ri, snarling. "I guess this wings won't work the way I want it to?!" He roared.

And then he did the most DISGUSTING thing they'd EVER seen him do. He reached behind him and RIPPED the mechanical wing off. Instantly black oil OOZED out onto the floor, splashing around and staining the ground. Sparks went flying as nuts and bolts clanked to the floor and Jam began crushing the wings into a messy chunk of SCRAP before tossing it over his shoulder and grinning evilly at Leroy.

"Howdya like THEM apples?!" He hissed, jumping up and aiming a punch at Leroy.

"I've been dying to tell you all this for ages…I personally HATE apples." Leroy remarked, nodding his head.

BA-WHOOOOOM!

SPLORK!

Instantly flesh POPPED out from Jam's right arm, revealing his normal arm underneath as his muscles were stripped of his body and fell to the ground, squeaking around a few times before dissolving up into little tiny flames.

"Ri, stay back!" Jam ordered, jumping up again…

…

…

…

…the memories played back in Ri's head. He'd been a writer. And he'd wanted to write dramatic, gripping stories.

The problem was that his girlfriend was…well, she was a nasty, rotten person. He'd tell story ideas to her and she'd laugh them off, over and over.

"You must be JOKING!"

"Oh c'mon, nobody would buy that story…"

"It's been done before, you'll get SUED."

"A loser with a Writing Degree is still a LOSER."

Eventually he'd came up with a VERY good idea. A BRILLIANT idea for a story. And what had happened when he'd presented it to her? She'd done the usual, insult the idea.

He'd been honestly offended. He didn't love her for her body but because he'd thought she cared about his opinions. So he'd been truly hurt and had decided to sulk for some time in his room.

Then, a week later, he'd gotten the courage to send the idea to a publisher after an inspirational dream occurred. But the publisher told him that somebody had already sent in the idea AND the manuscript for the book.

MANUSCRIPT?!

He'd tore open his desk and found what he was looking for…or rather, an ABSENCE of what he was looking for. His story! GONE!

…HER.

He'd looked down at the desk…then had clenched his fists and screamed to the heavens his feelings.

"SLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTT!!!"

In fact, not only had he screamed so loud that the glass broke, the neighbor's dog had gone deaf AND the potted plants in the window wilted, BUT he'd gotten the attention of one very annoyed JAM, who had been flying over the town, looking for his book keeper.

"HERE." He'd said, tossing it to Ri. "And you'd BETTER be able to read it, because if you CAN'T, I'm gonna rip your tongue out for BLASTING my sensitive ear-"

"I've never SEEN this word before. Re…re.."

"Don't read it in HERE!" Jam snapped. "Hey, how come you were screaming "slut", anyhow?"

Jam had understood his story. And do you know what he had done to Ri's horrid girlfriend who had been set to cash in on undeserved wealth and fame?

I'd tell you, but I want to keep this chapter rated "T", so… (shrugs)

…

…

…

…BA-SPLORCH!

There went the OTHER arm. But Jam STILL wasn't giving up.

"OH, IF I HAD A HAMMER! I'D HAMMER IN THE MOOOORNING! AND HAMMER IN THE EVENING! ALL OVER THIS LAAAAND!" He shouted, trying to sweep his leg to KICK Leroy.

"You ANNOY me." Leroy said, leaping up over the leg…

THA-WHOCK!

And punching Jam square in the chest. SCHRLOOOOOOP! Now the "Blessing" had been completely removed from Jam…he was his normal, bat-shaped self again and VERY, VERY bloodied up. He obviously didn't have much strength left, and if he went at Leroy again…

Luckily Nosy rushed forward, and with a flick of a lighter, Jam's book was on fire.

"I can't let that jerk KILL you!" He insisted. "Even if you're scary…"

"…THANKS." Jam said, smirking as he turned to Ri. "You know Ri…I think you and I both got the effort for ONE LAST move. I'm thinkin'…" He rubbed his chin.

"…Saikyou Konshin?" Ri asked quietly.

"…yeah. That'd be swell." Jam said quietly, smiling back.

"**SAI…KYOU…KONSHIN!**" Ri screamed out as Jam turned to face Leroy.

SCHA-THWOOOOOOM!

Putting all his effort into it, Jam's remaning wing was encased in a dark purple shine as swirls of laser energy sailed down out, spiraling down to through the air towards Leroy.

Jam was grinning all the while, even as his body quickly turned into purple sparks that shot up, disappearing into the sky.

"Wow…you've always been scary…" Nosy thought to himself as the attack slammed into Leroy. "But now…you're also kinda…cool…"

Ri lowered his face and slid to his knees. "God…damn it…" He mumbled out, gritting his teeth. "God…damn…"

Leroy was now hurt. And ANGRY. There was some blood dripping down from his chest where the attack had hit him and he was giving them all a gaze that could kill.

"Lillith…" He remarked softly, dangerously. "I'd like…them…dead. And I'd like them dead…NOW…"

"Well, I've saved up SOME heart power. We can use the smaller spells." Lillith told him, brushing her long black hair back.

Meanwhile, Crystallene was using the "Ministro" spell on Chopsuey again, and the green experiment's body had returned to normal on the outside. But on the INSIDE…who knew?

"We need to give Chops some TIME to get back to the land of the living!" Nick said. "What we need are people to hold down the fort and hold off the villain!"

******"**Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Spud Maaaan! Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Spud Maaaaan! Spud Maaaan!" Morpholomew shouted.

"I am the SPUD MAN! That's what I am! I am the SPUD MAN! I got the MASTER PLAN!" Spud laughed. "Dude, Heartwing, Morpholomew, here's what we do! Dude, use your Totus spell, I'll use "Banda" and we'll be able to hold him off!"

"Rock and ROLL, little duuuude!" Dude laughed as Heartwing jumped up into the air. He held his book up and recited the spell. **"TOTUS INSONS DRACO!"**

"_**BANDA DI FRATELLI!**_" Spud read out from HIS book.

PA-POOOF! Morpholomew gained seven clones and they all raced across the ground, weaving in and out of pillars along with Heartwing as the little dragon's body glowed with heavenly light.

"Leroy, you've gone too far!" Heartwing roared out. "Admit that what you're doing is wrong. Stop all of this! It's not too late!"

"It IS too late." Leroy remarked as Heartwing soared at him.

SCHWOMP!

He grabbed ahold of Heartwing's chest and frowned. "Too late for YOU."

"**FISTEN**!"

BABOOOOOM!

Heartwing was sent flying back, his body reverting to normal as he hit the ground and moaned in pain. "ZUKI, ZUKI, ZUKIIIIII!" He moaned out, trying to raise his head.

"You big BULLY! I'M GONNA-" Morpholomew and his clones all raced towards Leroy, fist raised.

"Gonna fall to the ground, blasted." Leroy remarked, extending all of his arms, even his extra ones.

"**FISTEN**-**FISTEN-FISTEN-FISTEN-FISTEN-FISTEN-FISTEN-FISTEN!**"

It was AMAZING how fast Lillith read the spells off, AND how fast Leroy sent them flying towards Morpholomew and his clones. They were all knocked down to the ground, bodies smoking, then being forcibly reverted into one, original Morpholomew, who rubbed his head as he tried to stand up.

"NOBODY is going to defeat me!" Leroy growled angrily.

"Except for me."

Everyone turned and saw Chops standing up, clenching his fists, looking intently at Leroy. He'd woken back up and was ANGRY.

"Leroy…I'm stopping you. Here. NOW. And when I'm finished blasting your dreams to pieces maybe you'll look back and think about how screwed up your decisions were. You could have really done something good with all the power you finally gained. Instead you chose to be selfish and use it for your own personal fulfillment. You…are worse than TRASH."

"**KOUKEN-KIRAI!**"

THWOOOOOOM! Leroy's body surged with black power as his eyes narrowed darkly at Chopsuey.

"Alright, 621…if you think that this is something that can be stopped…LET'S! SEE! YOU! STOP! IIIIIIIT!!!" He roared out.

"Nick…use Kimaira!" Chops insisted, putting his fist to his chest.

Nick wheeled around, one eyebrow raised, mouth slightly open. "WHAT?! Normally I'd ask this of DUDE, but…**ARE YOU HIGH**!?!" He shouted in an aggravated tone. "Kimaira just sent you into a fracking COMA, you stupidhead!"

Then he saw into his partner's eyes and he knew. He KNEW.

"…alright. Kimaira it is." He said, turning around to face the hulking summoned form of Samael as the skeletal wings of the diabolical freak cricked and cracked and it prepared to unleash it's attack once more. "**KIMAIRA!**" Nick yelled out.

SHCA-WHOOOOMMM!

His body blazing brilliantly, Chops shot the brilliant light of Kimaira into the air, and it took on the form it had before, and pulsing green energy soared up from Chopsuey's open mouth…his soul, his heart, his SELF were going into the thing…

But Nick placed both hands on Chops and concentrated as well…and now his mouth opened and a rainbow aura seeped out from his mouth, shooting up into the chimera made of aura…

…

…

…

…within the beast's mind, Chopsuey hovered there in the center as it looked into Kimaira's eyes.

"Last time you called on me in hate. You've done this TWICE now." Kimaira spoke up. "Do you think that you can just keep using my power for hate?"

"No, I'm not doing this for hate. This is to stop somebody who's evil and cruel. This is for JUSTICE. For what's RIGHT." Chops said.

"…do you have enough STRENGTH to command my new form?" Kimaira inquired. "Because you cannot do it alone."

"He's NOT alone." Nick said.

Kimaira's eyes shifted to the right to see Nick was walking over to the spiritual form of Chopsuey and putting his arms around him.

"My buddy's got me too."

"…now THAT'S…what I'm talkin' about." Kimaira laughed softly. "Alright small one…get ready, because HERE…WE…GO!"

KRA-KOOOWWWW!

Lighting split the skies over their heads as Kimaira hovered there in the air. Only NOW…the being had GOLDEN fur and looked positively…MAJESTIC.

"WOAAAAAH." Crystallene said, blinking in surprise.

"GET 'EM!" Chopsuey and Nick roared at the same time as the chimera rushed forward and began grappling with Samael. The two began to slash and claw at each other, with Kimaira's snake-like tail hissing and biting deep into Samael's shoulder as the demonic spirit slashed at Kimaira's chest with his seventh hand…

Lillith snarled and held onto her book tightly, and Leroy was surprised to see her…crying?

He'd only seen her crying once. And he understood why. She was thinking back…thinking about her past. As a black light shot out from her, her own hatred and sorrow and unhappiness raced into Samael, and his form grew larger and larger.

"You…you…B—TARDS!" Lillith thought. "Threw me away, just…just THREW ME AWAY…"

…

…

…

…alone. A lonely little girl born into a family who was deeply superstitious, filled with a fear of things like the devil and the occult. And she'd been born with icy blue eyes and long black hair…and been born BEAUTIFUL too. She only became more and more beautiful and lovely as the years went by and she became a young girl.

In short, she had, to her parents, looked like a succubus. And they didn't want a succubus in the family.

Calling her a demon and a devil, she'd been thrown out of her house and she had wandered the streets. She'd tried to approach other people to ask THEM for help, but they'd all just asked "Where's your mom and dad" and nobody had believed her story about being abandoned because of how she LOOKED.

She'd been shuffled around from foster home to foster home…but she still kept writing to her parents, her REAL parents, begging for mercy, for forgiveness. She just wanted them to love her.

And then one day she'd returned home after running away from an abusive pair of foster parents. Appearing on the doorstep, her hair muddied, her body bruised, she had thought they'd help her.

They'd shut the door on her. She had been discarded. Thrown away.

GARBAGE.

So she had lived on her own, the sorrow, hatred and resentment growing as the years went by. FAMILY.

OHANA.

What a load of crock! Nobody cared about other people! Not really! All it took was a single stupid superstition to make others think that the kindest of people was a devil. And you couldn't change the way people thought. And if you thought you COULD, you were stupid!

The world was at fault, and the world had to-

HUH?!

Lillith gasped. Leroy blinked. It wasn't POSSIBLE…but…

Kimaira had grown even larger and was now TOWERING above their summoned aura guardian. How?!

And then they saw it. Chops and Nick…Morpholomew and Spud…Yuuku and Crystallene…Heartwing and Dude. All together and hugging each other as their bodies glowed and sent beautiful shining lights of a thousand different colors up into the glowing form of Kimaira.

"I feel SORRY for you." Chops's voice came out of Kimaira's front voice as Lillith looked up at him. "What sort of hell did you go through that made you want to destroy the world?"

"Looking at you I can't feel anything but pity right now." Nick said softly, his own voice emitting from the back, from the snake-end.

"I can feel your emotions…your memories pouring through Samael and into Kimaira…I endured the same pain! I know what it's like to have your family not care about you!" Chops yelled.

…a single tear….

And thus Kimaira overwhelmed Samael, who let out a scream before vanishing into dust, and then the attack rushed forward through the air at Leroy, who turned to see Lillith was going to be in the line of fire…

He accessed the power of Senkoukura, sending out a mental command for it to teleport her to safety…

BAAAAAAAOOUUUUUUUUUUUU-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!

Kimaira struck home with the full force of ALL of their spirits combined, the rainbow light from it's body shooting everywhere, and Leroy felt his mind, body, soul and heart being struck over and over with deep physical pain…

And then something else happened.

He was now floating in the air…and witnessing a scene. A scene of creation.

621. He was there, within a circular tube and looking around. "Wh-what? Who are you?" He got out, looking at this strange new being.

"I am your creator. Jumba Jookiba. And you are my newest and greatest creation. You…are 621."

Now the scene changed, and 621 was holding onto some canisters, looking Jumba over.

"Testing done with experiment 621 has met with little success." Jumba thought out loud, talking into a recorder.

"OHHHHH…" 621 moaned, hanging his head and shaking it. Jumba kept wanting him to do everything faster and better and stronger. He wasn't PERFECT! Who did he expect him to be, 6-

…NO. He would NOT compare himself to 626. He HATED 626! He kept stealing all the attention away from him! If only there was SOME way to get Jumba to pay attention to him again…

"621, listen, 626 is going to be collecting DNA for latest tests." Jumba told him. "Old friend called in favor. He needs me to send assassin to deal with pesky politican. Can you do that?"

Hmm. THIS might be just the chance he needed! Chops had nodded and saluted. "Yes, SIR!" He shouted.

But then he'd ARRIVED at the planet and had found something there…the politican had a family. A LARGE family.

Watching and waiting from the shadows and the shrubbaries, trying to hide and wait for the perfect opportunity, he found himself unable to pull the trigger of his sniper rifle as he watched the father pick one of his many sons up and twirl them around in a game called "Elevator"…unable to sneak up from behind a tree and strangle him when he was eating a picnic with his daughters…

And he found himself crying when he saw them all playing together at a carnival, sitting atop of Merry-Go-Rounds.

"Weeeeee!"

"Lookit ME, Daddy!"

"I'm gonna catch the ring, daddy!"

"That's my boy, that's my girl! LIIIIITLE bit more…ALMOST there!"

…why?

Why didn't HE have a father like that?

He didn't finish the mission. He just left, sniffling as he walked away into the forest, heading back to his ship. A horrid, painful feeling whelled up in him as he came to blame his pain on one experiment…

Leroy watched as 621 quickly, angrily tossed DNA into the mutator machine, one capsule at a time. Stitch, in an orange jumpsuit, eyes wide with a mixture of curiosity, nervousness and disapproval, approached his cousin.

"Oh, 626, my BELOVED Stitch, you're SOOOO great!" Chopsuey had hissed, gesticulating to get his point across. "Lookit me, making DNA enhancements for my finest creation!" He began giggling madly, a horrid flash of insanity running through him as he gripped the side of his head, trying to fight back tears. "I'm sick of it, I'm SICK of it I'm SICK OF IIIIT! Well…heeheehee…everything's about to change! We'll see what Jumba thinks of you NOW after he sees what happens when I use the DNA on MYSELF!" He sniggered, licking one eyelid as the mutator doors closed on him…

And when they opened, they revealed a horrid, frightening being.

"NoW wE sEtTlE tHiS." Chops had roared out in his mutated form, rushing at Stitch…

…

…

…

…PAIN. And lots of it! A horrid fight, scratching and tearing and…

Electrical fire shooting through his veins!

Despair and unhappiness. He didn't belong with Jumba. He covered his face as he sat in a corner of a storeroom. Why would Jumba ever care about him? He'd lost to 626. He'd mutated himself against Jumba's will and had stolen the DNA meant to Stitch. He'd RUINED Jumba's plans.

And he'd turned into a monster. Crying and crying, Chopsuey stayed inside the dark room as the chilly temperature nipped at him over and over…

Then a knock came at the door. And he saw Page at the front. That little choir boy…

"Chopsuey! WONDERFUL news!" He announced. "He's posted the listings for all of the experiments who are going to to the planet Earth in the competition to determine champion!"

"…so?" Chops asked quietly.

"…you're ON THE LIST." Page had said, going to Chopsuey and placing his gentle paw on his fellow experiment's shoulder. "Brother, hold your head up high. You're going to be competing…"

And thus, joy. Sheer, beautiful joy. Jumba stood up there, behind a podium, addressing the chosen ones…

"Go. And make me PROUD." He'd asked them all.

He'd looked over at Stitch, then at Jumba, a single tear going down his cheek as he clenched his fist and promised himself to be strong.

"_I WILL make you proud." _He thought to himself. _"I promise, father."_

…

…

…

…Leroy lay there on the ground, Nick looking down at him and Chops on his knees, staring into Leroy's eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly as Heatwave crossed her arms, looking away with a hint of disgust on her face that they were being so considerate to somebody who had just tried to kill them.

"…why do you care?" Leroy asked, turning his head to the side. Everyone stood by their respective partners, save for Heatwave, who stood alongside Chibisuke, Eclipse, Ahinahina and White…

…and Dr. Rupert and Pleakley.

He saw the doctor and blinked. Was it…no. This one had different eyes, softer…and a different outfit.

"You look too much like him." Leroy mumbled.

"I want to apologize for my brother's sake." Dr. Rupert said, nodding his head apologetically. "Jacques and I have had bad childhoods as well, but that does not mean we should take our past sorrows out on the world by manifesting it in ways that harm others. You were innocent once and deserved better than what you got."

"…I don't…don't care what you think of me." Leroy said, getting up and dusting himself off. Every bone in his body ached and he felt…so cold inside. He was running on empty, that's what it felt like. "What are you all waiting for? Get your warm and fuzzy feelings and do your good deed for the day by kicking the s—t out of me and just finish things."

"Leroy…"

Leroy turned around to see Chopsuey was looking at him along with Nick in a fashion that was so…warm. So kind.

"Couldn't we be ohana? Couldn't we at least TRY?" He asked.

That question. That plea. It made Leroy freeze in place.

He had essentially sent them through HELL. And still they were…still they…still they were saying something like that?

"No…NO…" He sobbed, tears brimming in his eyes as he covered them with his clawed paws, weeping. "You can't say that, you're supposed to hate me…you can't say that, you can't…you can't be so kind…how can you say that?"

"Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten." Nick, Chopsuey and the others all repeated.

"…please, don't…I can't." Leroy said as his body began to vanish. "Wrath…hatred…I can give that back…tenderness I cannot, I CANNOT bear. Don't…please just don't…I can't change, I can't, it's too late…" He wept as his body faded away. "Too late…"

He was gone. They all turned to Heatwave. "Now then…how many minutes until the DEVICE activates that sends Senkoukura back to the future?"

Heatwave tossed them a look, then sighed. "I'll tell you…"

PLOP!

"If you burn my book."

"Done!" Spud began to say, but then Nick held him back. "WAIT! Why?" Nick asked.

"I wanted to stop Leroy…but I was ALL WRONG in how to get it done." Heatwave said, rubbing the temples of her forehead. "If I had just gone to all of you in the beginning…then it probably would have been easy to kill off Leroy."

"He's dead NOW though, isn't he?" Crystallene asked. "He'd, like, better be…"

"Hey, the dude was having an emotional breakdown, show a LITTLE respect." Nick insisted.

"You know…" Heatwave held up her book. "This isn't a "Hallmark" card, touchy-feely altruism doesn't work."

"Worked for Goku from DBZ!" Nick said, shrugging. "I mean, his unbelievably unconditional love for all life reformed eighteen bamillion villains!"

"Okay, fine, good point, but still, you've got to remember to balance any sort of tender-hearted sympathy you've got for the villains with a healthy dose of strength…the strength to show them the error of their ways via ass-kicking! Think you can do that, kid?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hellz yeah." Nick said, punching the air.

"…that's all I wanted to hear." Heatwave said, tossing her book back down. Spud calmly lifted it up and set it on fire, and she began ti dissapate into little red specks of light. "I'll see you all back in the lab." Heatwave told her fellow experiments. "But before I forget…honey?" Heatwave turned her head up to address her son. "Teleport them out to safety, alright? ALL of the people inside of you who aren't supposed to be inside of you."

"YES MOM." Senkoukura's great voice intoned.

PA-POINK!

They were deposisted before a large crowd of people who all gazed at them in surprise. At the FRONT of the crowd were Lilo, Stitch, Victoria, Myrtle and her posse.

"NICK?!" Lilo gasped.

Nick turned around and gave them all a big smile, grinning happily. "ALOHA!" He announced. "Sorry I didn't come back sooner, but saving the world comes first, y'know? And you wouldn't BELIEVE the sorts of things that happened while we were stuck inside of Senkoukura over there!" He said, jabbing his thumb at the large dragon, who waved and nervously smiled.

"UMMM…HELLO…"

Everyone down below nervously waved back. Lilo turned to Nick. "So it's a long story?" She asked.

"Yep. Pretty long!" Nick said, shrugging. "But first thing's first." He looked over at Stitch. "Stitch, experiment 626…meet Chopsuey, experiment 621!"

Chopsuey stepped forward, flashing them all a big grin as the crowd looked these new, strange things over.

"And I'm Arthur P. Spudinski, and THIS is experiment 316, Morpholomew!" Spud announced as Morpholomew stepped forward, putting his little blobby appendages on his hips.

"I'm Yuuku Hanako, and this is my partner, experiment 619, Crystallene!" Yuuku told the people as Crystallene cheerily waved at them.

"Like, hiiiii!"

"I'm Dude, dudes, and this groovy little dude is experiment 421, Heartwing!" Dude said, holding Heartwing up, who gave them all a heart-warming smile.

"Name's Gantu. Member of the Galactic Federal Alliance." Gantu said, nodding at the humans below.

"I'm Wyn. And to be honest, I'm supposed to be filing papers for the president right now, but…saving the world was a LOT more interesting." Wyn admitted, smiling nervously.

"I'm Wendy N. Pleakley, and this adventure's been FABULOUS! I haven't had so much fun in AGES!" Pleakley laughed.

"I am Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel, **THE AMAZING DOCTOR WHO KNOWS ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!** " Dr. Rupert announced, pointing up dramatically into the Heavens.

"Presley is my name, Elvis impersonations are my game." Presley said, lighting a cigarette.

"The name's Hegel. Comic book-store owner ever since I retired from teaching." Hegel told the crowd.

"I'm Mr. Jameson, and this is my partner, experiment 199, Nosy!" Mr. Jameson said as Nosy sat on his shoulder.

"I'm Squee." Squee said. "My mom would be worried sick about me if not for the fact that she and dad kinda hate my guts…"

"I'm Sara. I'm a nun. God loves you all." Sara said cheerfully.

"Yep, cuz if he didn't, y'all woulda been ET by now!" Trey laughed. "I'm Trey Parker! THE Trey Parker?" He remarked, grinning.

"Never heard of you." The crowd said, making Trey hang his head in shame.

"I'm Farla. Please don't comment on my outfit, I just got out of a fight and didn't get the chance to change." Farla insisted, waving her hand dismissively.

"I'm Haley Long." Haley said. "My partner is experiment 561…"

Stitch's eyes narrowed at his.

"Nightwing."

Nightwing looked the crowd over and they all gasped in fear. Then he scratched his head.

"How do you defuse a situation like this?" He asked Haley.

"Look cute. Think "plush toy"." Haley suggested.

Concentrating as hard as he could, Nightwing gave them the biggest set of Bambi eyes they'd ever seen, and the crowd all went "awwww".

"I like puppies!" He squeaked out.

"AWWWWWW."

"Fake…sincerity...hurts my soul…" Nightwing mumbled out through his grin to Haley.

"I know." Haley said sadly, patting him on the head. "I KNOW."

"I'm Keef. My neighbor tried to take my organs out but I love him anyway!" Keef said happily.

"Why?" Nick asked.

A kid in a tuxedo sprayed some "Minty-Breath" into his mouth, cleared his throat, then spread his arms and sang out. "_**HE'S GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!**_"/I?

"Yes, thank you, Gay-Dar-Dan." Nick sighed, shaking his head.

"I'm Ahinahina!" Ahinahina announced, bowing. "And I LIKE my pants, mahalo nui loa!"

"Michael White. Call me White." White announced. "Good thing it's nighttime out, I can't be on the beach at day, it's bad for my skin…" He adjusted his jacket and grinned. "And ladies…" He held up his "guns". "These are ALL NATURAL."

THWACK! Sara whacked him in the leg and he bounded up and down. "Pervert!" She snapped.

"We've got a lot to talk about, don't we?" Chopsuey asked his brother. "I've gone through many adventures with my partner."

"You know, me and Lilo have been going through some crazy stuff too!" Stitch said. "We even got stuck out at sea on this cruise ship with an experiment that didn't have a name, just a designation, 627…"

"I'd like to hear about that. All of it." Chops asked, nodding his head, his Mohawk bobbing slightly.

"Well…we've got plenty of time." Stitch insisted, smiling gently.

"Pizza's on me!" White called out, holding up a large roll of fifty dollar bills.

Slowly everyone made their way back into town, heading for various pizza parlors. Over soda, pizza and ice cream, the book keepers and their experiments all began chatting and talking about their amazing experiences. Nick sat with Lilo, the two looking into each other's eyes.

"…thanks again for the necklace." Nick said.

"You keep it. It's a present." Lilo insisted. "So tell me…that Senkoukura guy was from the future, right?"

"Right."

"Was there any information from the future about what happens to Stitch?"

"…you know…I didn't look at that." Nick said. "I saw the option on the screen, but there were other things to take care of. Ah…" He shrugged. "Even if I had HAD the extra time I wouldn't have looked, I don't think. I like it this way…life with Chops comes at me fast…I never know what's going to happen to us next!"

…

…

…

…Lillith sobbed, covering her face as she lay on the beach.

Leroy…gone. Her partner. The only person who'd truly cared about her at all. Somebody who had understood her pain…

She was so busy crying that she didn't hear them. The soft cruching of feet on sand. Then she did…and she turned around…

Her eyes went wide at what she saw, WHO she saw, the figure holding the book that looked so familiar yet was so different and new…

"…_Leroy_?"

"Not quite, dear. Not…quite…"

...

…

…

**And now…the Season Three Ending Credits! WOO! **

(Nick calmly lays in a grassy field, looking up at the clouds as they pass by, nodding his head as he bobs his head up and down, smiling.)

**_Lai-lai-lai-lai, lai-lai-lai-lai, lai-lai-lai-lai-lai-lai, la-la-lai-lai-lai-lai, la-la-lai-lai-lai!_**

(The scene changes to Lilo, who rubs her eyes and yawns as the radio is playing by her bed. She quickly sees the time and her eyes bug out. WOAH! Overlslept!)

**_6 AM…radio playin', stumble out the bed, run out the door! A brand new day…_**

**_Never thought I'd have this feeling, never thought I'd get this faaar…_**

**_But I'm okaaaaaaaaay!_**

(Stitch waves goodbye to Lilo as she heads off to school, then heads back inside the house. As Lilo runs down the sidewalk, she catches sight of Victoria waiting for her by the bus stop. The two smile at each other, then get on the bus and Lilo looks out the window at the slowly-moving clouds.)

**_And I…fly-ay! I reach out my hands and touch the sky…that's right in front of me!_**

**_And I…try-ay! Just let go, relax, enjoy the ride…and I feel free…_**

**_When I flyyyyyyyyyy…when I flyyyyyy-aaayyyy-ayyy…_**

(Nick gets up from the field and puts his hands in his pockets as he walks across the field, the images of his sent-home friends appearing in the clouds.)

**_Thinking back…there were days I could barely make it out the door. So much doubt…_**

**_Changed my mind, changed my ways, wasn't gonna do this anymore…_**

**_I turned arrroooouuuund!_**

(He looks up into the sky and the scene cuts to Chopsuey, who's lying underneath a tree in the grassy field, lying in the shade and snoring slightly, a snot bubble growing and shrinking from his nose.)

**_And I…fly-ay! I reach out my hands and touch the sky…that's right in front of me!_**

**_And I…try-ay! Just let go, relax, enjoy the ride…and I feel free…_**

**_When I flyyyyyyyyyy…when I flyyyyyy-aaayyyy-ayyy…_**

(Chopsuey blinks and wakes up, seeing some butterflies soar around the tree, flying up into it's branches.)

**_Like a butterfly loves to soar, I chooose…not-to-hiiide…anymoo-oooooore!_**

**_I fly-aay-ayyy…home…I flyy-ayy-aayyy…_**

(He turns his head and sees Nick approaching and smiles, getting up and watching his partner come over.)

**_And I…fly-ay! I close my eyes and kiss the sky…that's right in front of me!_**

**_And I…try-ay! Just let go, relax, enjoy the ride…and I feel free…_**

(The two friends then head across the field together as the spirits of their _ohana_ walk alongside them.)

**_And I…fly-ay! I reach out my hands and touch the sky…that's right in front of me!_**

**_And I…try-ay! Just let go, relax, enjoy the ride…and I feel free…_**

**_When I flyyyyyyyyyy…when I flyyyyyy-aaayyyy-ayyy…_**

(The camera cuts up into the sky, rising higher and higher until at last it turns into the glowing stars of space. Their light flickers for a few moments as the music fades just as the scene is slowly fading to black.)


	62. He Who Bit Off The Sun!

**CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO**

**太陽の一部を彼は少しオフ****!**

**He Who Bit Off Part of the Sun!**

**------------------------------------------**

**SEASON FOUR! OPENING CREDITS TIME!**

**(Almost can't believe I got this far...pretty cool, huh?)**

(Nick and Chopsuey stand in a field as the wind blows their hair forward, while Lilo and Stitch face them. The camera rotates around them. Then both of them rush forward and punch the air as the camera rises into the sky, showing the title.)

_**1, 2, 3, 4!**_

(Then the scene changes to Nick sitting in a bus with Chopsuey. Both are nodding their heads as they're listening to a Ipod.)

_**John...why'd you have to leave us? Will they ever listen? **_

_**Will they ever love?**_

(The scene changes as the bus comes to a stop and Nick and Chopsuey walk off, coming face to face with Lilo and Stitch. Nick raises his hand up and gives them a thumbs up, winking as Lilo grins.)

_**John...tell me all that you know...the CD's playing extra slow...**_

_**Played the track five times now!**_

_**I listen backwards once for luck! **_

(Images of all the people Nick and his friends have fought pass overhead in the clouds as Nick sits in the park, looking at the sky, a sad expression on his face.)

_**Learning right and learning wrong, knowing love and loving song,**_

_**That's a paradise!**_

(Chopsuey approaches from the side and Nick stands up, smiling as he gets up and looks down at Chopsuey, nodding.)

_**The sun is lighting up the sky, now my dreams begin to fly, take my hand I'll take you there...**_

_**To a Paradise!**_

(Lilo looks out the window of her house, placing one hand on the glass as the stars twinkle, a thoughtful expression on her face.)

_**God...can't you give me answers? Sometimes I wonder...just who I'm praying to!**_

_**Then a thousand colors brighten up the sky... **_

_**Stretching overhead...**_

_**The rain's dried up and I can see the path again! **_

_**I know my dream's not dead!**_

(She sees the pictures of all the people she's ever known in the stars and a tear streams down her cheek as Victoria, Snooty, Angel and Kioko appear.)

_**I am ready, I can see, I'm setting all the people free! **_

_**Let love in, let it shine!**_

_**Learn to love this paradise!**_

_**From the cities, from the town, see the good that's all around! **_

_**Your paradise...this world is Paradise!**_

**_Imagine everyone in peace!_**

(Instrumental piece showing past scenes of everyone in action)

_**Cruelty screaming from the headlines...**_

_**Blood comes falling down like rain..**_

_**Horror rushing through my brain **_

_**Forgiveness, wash away the stain!  
It's hard to let it go...but once you do, you truly knoooow...**_

_**Just how far a little ideal can go!**_

(Leroy and Lillith's image appears in the sky as everyone looks up at them and clench their fists, holding their books up as everyone jumps up)

_**Your heart soars up when you believe,**_

_**You're someone they can't deceive,**_

_**Won't you set the stage?  
Set the stage for Paradise! **_

_**Elementary, plain to see...a happy ending's meant to be...**_

_**In paradise...here in Paradise!**_

(Close ups of every single experiment and their partner are shown.)

_**Not giving up and reaching high...**_

_**Here in Paradise!**_

_**Feel the wind upon your face!**_

_**Here in Paradise!  
Looking upwards to the sky!**_

_**Here in Paradise!**_

(Nick lies back in a field as the wind blows his hair. He smiles as Chopsuey lies next to him and they watch the clouds pass overhead.)

_**This is such a blessed place...**_

_**Made our paradise...**_

_**We made our Paradise! **_

(As the music reaches a finish, the two sit up as Lilo and Stitch approach. Both offer their hand, and experiment and human take the offered hands. As they stand up, the camera pans up to the serene blue sky as clouds peacefully drift by.)

…

…

…

…Nick was trying to have a peaceful nap. But it was proving to be VERY unusual.

You see, it had only been one night since Senkoukura had returned to the future. And since Leroy was gone, this made Nick wonder intensely…how much of the future had they changed?

And to be honest, he'd wanted to ask Heatwave if she knew anything about him and…

…oh, he couldn't bring THAT into this sort of fight. He had to trust that some glorious accident would happen. That's how things usually worked.

Sitting in his room while Chopsuey was watching television downstairs, specifically MTV. Nick groaned as he rolled his eyes. Music videos. There were so few good ones nowadays…

"YAAAAAWN…"

He felt tired. Really tired. Yet he couldn't fall sleep. So he decided to try counting sheep. He closed his eyes and pictured them jumping over a fence. One…two…three…four…five…six…seven…

…

…

…

…he woke up, seeing blinding light shining down on him. He shielded his eyes and blinked slowly as the light faded to reveal somebody standing there.

VIC?!?

"Vic? I remember you! What are you doing in my dream?" Nick asked as he crossed his arms, looking at the brown, glasses-wearing experiment as they floated around in an endless abyss.

"You've got a big connection with the spiritual. It runs in your family! Therefore I can enter your dreams easily." Vic explained, filing his claws. "Anyhow, I've come to give you a warning. There's a real DEMON who's going to show up on the scene. Somebody who would frighten even HE…that dark dragon, Nightwing!"

"I see." Nick said, frowning. "But how dangerous is he really?" He inquired as the entire setting changed to a shimmering mix of odd neon colors.

Vic snapped his clawed fingers and it showed him in front of his computer, pounding at the keyboard and silently yelling "NOOOO" as documents printed out in strange letters.

"He'll make your documents into Swahili!"

SNAP!

Now the TV was glowing and Chopsuey was crying in front of it. "Make your TV record Gigli!"

"NO!" Nick gasped in horror.

"Neuter your partner and give him NASTY static cling!"

SNAP! Chopsuey, now with bandages wrapped around his privates, groaned as he was stuck to the ceiling.

"It gets WORSE!" Vic went on. "He'll make all the paint peel off the walls! He'll make your water all stinky, clog up your sinky and invest your cash and stocks in EURODISNEY!"

"THE FIEND!!!" Nick screamed, eyes wide with horror, eyes popping out to ridiculous lengths.

"THEN he'll give you a permanent wedgie, legally change your name to Reggie…even the salt ph balance in your pool! He'll melt your face right off your skull and your Ipod play only Jethro Tull! He'll tell you knock-knock jokes while you're trying to sleep, and make you physically attracted to sheep! He'll rip up holes in time and space and leave absolutely NOTHING in it's place!"

"This guy sounds like a virus on the face of the Earth."

"Then consider this…"

Vic snapped his fingers again and the words "VIRUS ALERT" appeared above him in a big, glowing neon sign as a marching band carried him off. "Make sure you AND Stitch are prepared! You've got to get to training! Seek out Ahinahina and White, they'll help you!"

And with that, he woke up.

MEANWHILE…

"Have you and Chopsuey actually TALKED?" Lilo asked Stitch.

Stitch gave her a nervous look. "Er, you know…a little…"

"By which you mean you haven't talked to him at all. STITCH." Lilo shook her head, sighing.

The two were technically brothers. There designs were so remarkably similar, their goal the same…to become a good champion. But what would it take to make him a good champion? How many more battles would he have to endure?

They'd lost good friends. Angel and Kioko…those brave, wonderful souls. They'd fought so hard for their sakes…

Snooty. Poor, sweet, Snooty. Victoria still felt the sting of losing her dear friend. 627 had forced Snooty to go back to the lab, then had cruelly fired on Victoria as she was consumed by grief. Cruel indeed…they were GLAD he was gone.

Yet he was gone only because Angel and Kioko had gone as well. And it was possible that they were…

…NO. They weren't dead. They COULDN'T be.

Could they?

RIIIIING! RIIIIIIIING!

Who could THAT be? Lilo approached the door and opened it up to see somebody she wished she didn't have to be looking at. Somebody she REALLY wished she didn't have to be looking at.

Haley Long and her partner, Nightwing, stood there on their front doorstep. Stitch approached from behind Lilo and soon stood by her side, arms crossed as he looked Nightwing over.

"Hello 626, Stitch." Nightwing smiled that chilling smile. "It has been quite a long time since we last SPOKE to each other, hasn't it?"

"…too short a time, if you ask me." Stitch insisted. "You're creepy."

"AND dark. But…that goes without saying. Now I'd normally LOVE to stand around and trade little quips with you, but I'm already bored out of my skull. Now would you be so kind as to simply agree to a match?" Nightwing inquired.

"Yeah. Nothing TOO big. Just maybe on the outskirts of town, away from everyone else? I don't want innocent people getting involved in this." Haley insisted.

"Well I'm glad to see that your BOOK OWNER has some honor." Stitch said, frowning. He knew plenty of 561's reputation. He didn't believe for one moment that Nightwing was just interested in a simple and friendly match.

"Aw, such harsh words from the noble 626. You WOUND me, my cousin." 561 said, placing his hand on his chest. Then he grinned. "But not as deeply as I'm going to wound YOU in the upcoming fight. Let's see how far you've come!"

…

…

…

…Lilo's hair blew in the wind as she faced Haley down with firm resolve in her eyes. Stitch took up a fighting position as Nightwing looked him over and Haley held her book up. She seemed rather…sweaty. Odd.

"Are you ready?" Haley Long, owner of the Black Book, asked the owner of the blue book, Lilo Pelekai.

"Yes." Lilo said, nodding. "Stitch and I are ready!"

"Alright then…Nightwing!" She yelled out.

Nightwing took up a battle position and clenched his fists, grinning.

"ATRA!" Haley roared out, book glowing brightly.

Nightwing's maw opened and from the depths of his throat came black fire…it couldn't be! _Amaterasu?_

FWOOOOOM! An ENORMOUS burning blast of flame that was as dark as Nightwing's scales erupted from his maw. Lilo raised her own book up. "**DAOISHI**!" Lilo shouted. Stitch held his paw/hands up as they glowed brightly, the same color of his book. As they glowed, Stitch summoned a brilliant dome of semi-transparent energy which formed around him and Lilo, protecting them from the flames as they washed over the top of the dome like a car wash's water pouring down onto a car.

Lilo grit her teeth as smoke arose around them, the flames dying away. The shield shimmered before it finally vanished and she looked at Stitch. "Was that that creepy Black Flame attack? The one that Kim Possible told us about in the shop?"

"It seemed just like it…and I felt an aura of darkness coming from it that…URP…" Stitch held his mouth. "I wanted to puke just being within five feet of it…"

"Don't tell me you're giving up NOW?!?" Nightwing's voice roared out. Gasping, Lilo watched as Nightwing jumped out of the smoke, claws raised up as he raced towards Lilo. "You are MY prey now, dear one…" He whispered softly.

"No you DON'T!" Stitch shouted, leaping forward…

But then Lilo grabbed him and jumped backwards through the air, dodging Nightwing's strike as his claws found the ground instead of her body. Stitch gasped as Lilo stood back up, hair whipping around her as she grinned.

"You and I have BOTH gotten stronger during this competition Stitch…we've both changed. And both of us, together, will WIN and make you the champion!"

"You seem strong of will, girl. Good. I like that." Nightwing laughed.

"You tried to target Lilo…I won't forgive you for that!" Stitch growled.

"If you're really so sure that you can stop me, than PROVE IT. Show me with ACTIONS, not WORDS, 626!" Nightwing shouted, holding out his clawed hands.

"Right! **UMBRA!**" Haley read out, wiping her brow.

Nightwing held up his palms and summoned dark chains that shot forward at Stitch, but Stitch dived through the chains, then leapt into the air, jumping atop one chain and rushing along the top to kick Nightwing in the face. He went flying back, but quickly re-righted himself in mid-air. Stitch WAS skilled!

"Let's see your true resolve, 626!" Nightwing called out. He clenched his eyes shut, then shot them open…

SHING…

A change in his eyes…a shimmering light…they glinted in the light like purple-tinted black crystals, the pupils becoming slits that resembled a crescent moon.

"**ATRUM!**"

Nightwing howled to the sky as he faced Stitch down and rushed forward, fist held high and glowing with black flame…

"OOOUUUUOOOOHHHHH!!!" Stitch roared back, his black eyes glittering like coal, a diamond lying hidden within, ready to be molded with righteous fire!

"Yes…YES, this is that true resolve!" Nightwing laughed as Stitch's fist found his own.

SCHUDDA-SCHOOOOM!

A HUGE shockwave of energy shot out, as a dome of energy enveloped the two of them, lightning splitting the air around it. Then the dome receded, revealing that two large craters had been created. Nightwing grinned, then stepped back.

"Good enough?" He asked Haley.

"Oh yes. They stopped your Black Flame Fist without any other spells…they're strong enough to handle what's to come." Haley said, closing the book. "We're outta here."

Nightwing nodded, and turned around, heading over to Haley. Stitch frowned as he pointed after Nightwing. "Hold up!" He yelled. "You can't just walk off and-"

"UGH!" Haley fell to her knees, panting heavily, and Nightwing ran to her side, a look on his face that made Stitch gasp.

One of love. Concern. KINDNESS.

"Haley, are you alright? You shouldn't exert yourself THIS much. I thought you said you would be able to handle this…"

"I'm…FINE…" Haley insisted. "Let's get…going…"

Stitch looked her over. Then he sniffed the air, and his eyes widened. "You're…you've got that special scent. You're PREGNANT." He gasped out.

Lilo's eyes went wide as Nightwing nervously turned around, an embarrassed shade of red on his cheeks as Haley turned as well. "Wait…you mean…you two?" She inquired.

"I'm a dragon, remember?" Haley informed them. "So is he. And…we love each other." She knelt down by Nightwing and the two held each other's hands tenderly.

"We realized that we wouldn't be able to stay together on this planet, but now that Haley is bearing my child…" Nightwing smiled happily. "She will always have someone to remember me by, a living memory of me. And I will NEVER forget her."

Nightwing's gaze then turned solemn. "You care deeply for your book owner, and I understand why. She is a source of great light…and that light will be able to hold back the darkness that is coming."

"What darkness?" Lilo asked.

"There is somebody who's entered the game. Someone who plays for keeps in the worst way possible." Nightwing said softly. "He will SLAUGHTER every other experiment who gets in his way until he becomes the champion. Not even Jumba will be able to stop him…because he's a force that he can't control, never COULD control."

Stitch's eyes widened, then narrowed. Lilo spoke up. "Who IS he?"

"…I've only seen his face. In a dream. But I know his intent. His dark aura was POURING off of his body in waves." Nightwing informed them. He crossed his arms. "If you intend to truly be the champion, you have to ready yourself to fight somebody the likes of which you've never fought before. Your foe is an experiment who hates the competition so much he's willing to do ANYTHING to win. Do you think you can win?"

"We've met somebody like that before." Lilo told him, putting her hands on her hips. "And he lost to us and our friends."

Nightwing smiled enigmatically. "That's not really an answer…"

"We don't THINK we can win. We KNOW we'll win. Not CAN. WILL." Lilo insisted, eyes burning fiercely.

Haley smiled, standing back up. "THAT'S the sort of answer we were hoping for. You'll be seeing us again." With a cheerful smile, the two of them walked off, and Lilo and Stitch looked at each other.

"…who do you think this experiment could be?" Lilo asked.

"To be honest, I thought it was HIM." Stitch admitted. "There aren't too many truly HATEFUL experiments that Jumba made…those that hate other experiments with a passion. Many hate JUMBA for the way he's treated them, but not other experiments."

Lilo then looked down at her book and found it was glowing brightly. Eyes widening, she opened it up, and found, at the back, there were words giving this message:

"CONGRATULATIONS. YOU'RE NEARING THE END. BUT NOW THE STAKES HAVE GOTTEN HIGHER. WHO WILL WIN AND BECOME THE CHAMPION OF ALL EXPERIMENTS?"

…

…

…

…DING-DONG! DING-DONG!

Lilo answered the door. "PLEASE don't let it be the dragons, PLEASE don't let it be the dragons…"

She opened it up, and gaped. "What? MR. WHITE?! And Ahinahina, right?" She inquired, looking down at Ahinahina, who cheerfully waved. "Say…those pants look GOOD on you. They really do." She admitted.

Ahinahina just grinned as White spoke up, Stitch appearing by Lilo's side. "We've asked our book owner friends the others to get together for a meeting. There's something you all need to see…"

Ahinahina hugged Stitch tightly. "ALWAYS great to see a fellow cousin." He added, letting to of him a moment later. "Especially one as skilled as you! You've got a reputation, you know." He added. "You're like Icarus, except when you sailed up to the sun, you bit off a chunk of it instead of falling to your doom!"

"Maybe the fall hasn't COME yet." White sniggered.

"YOU'RE a lovely person." Lilo mumbled.

"I know." White laughed. "Now…shall we?"

…

…

…

…Lilo and Stitch were lead to a nearby hill outside of town and she saw many of the familiar book keepers she'd been introduced to so recently had gathered. Dude and Heartwing, Haley and Nightwing, Yuuku and Crystallene, Spud and Morpholomew, Nick and Chopsuey.

"Dan and Charlie couldn't make it." Nick apologized to Lilo. "Charlie's got a cold, poor kid."

"You're a kid too. You're younger than Lilo." Stitch added.

"Not by THAT much!" Nick insisted, blushing nervously. Seeing this, Lilo smiled. He LIKED her.

"Anyhow, what's this thing we have to see?" Stitch asked.

White grinned. "To-the-point, aren't you?"

"If all of these people are gathered together, it's probably something that involves something DANGEROUS." Stitch reasoned.

"Oh, what's coming IS dangerous. But I'm not too worried if the world goes to Heck. I happen to be a Wonder." He told Stitch.

"…eh?" Stitch titled his head to the side. "What?"

"A new wonder of the modern world!" He explained. "I've got POWERS. Time and Space are mine to bend in this realm. So…**BEHOLD**!"

White held his hands up and they glowed brightly with a pink light. With a SCHA-ZOOMP they were transported to an enormous hall that had many experiments lounging around. Stitch blinked in surprise.

"Look at all of them…" He whispered. "Oh my."

627 was approaching them, looking angry. They all got into a fighting position, but he stopped and held a paw up. "I'M not the one who's looking for you. THAT way." He said, gesturing to the right.

Looking skeptical, Lilo and Stitch led the group to the left as experiments parted ways to lead them towards the stage at the front of the enormous hall, with large lights hanging from the ceiling, casting glowing yellow light onto the red curtains that kept the stage from being shown…

Ahinahina jumped up onto the stage and spread his arm out, one clawed hand on his chest. "Ladies and gentlemen, trogs of all ages, I present to you…the one…the only…"

He leapt through the air and tugged down on a rope cord, swinging away like Tarzan to reveal…

"THE FANON LINE!" He laughed out loud.

The book keepers and their experiment's eyes went wide.

"Hey guys." Kila said sadly as she sat next to XR. Ribera was speaking with a black-haired youth, Ovni was standing by Ace and balancing a knife on one finger, and Sketch was absentmindedly doodling.

What was going ON?!

"This is JUMBA'S LAB!" Stitch exclaimed. "This is the meeting hall where he'd do all his big announcements and large-group training sessions…you're not his experiments, so why are you here?" He asked.

Ahinahina sighed as he sat on the stage with the others. "Due to the fact that I've got a bond with Nick and White, I was able to travel from Jumba's lab to your town and inform White of what was going on…" He sighed. "And what's going on is this…Jumba's beginning to think that many of the experiments were sent back too EASILY. He's going to…change them. Make them taller…not so fluffy…alter them so drastically they won't be THEM anymore. He needs somebody strong of heart and body to convince him otherwise…"

"And we fanon line experiments were sent directly HERE instead of back to our own homes!" Kila remarked sadly. "Apparently, because we got involved in YOUR fight, Jumba is treating us as HIS experiments, and he won't let us go back home until the fight's over!"

"And the new experiment who seeks to become champion won't let them go home. Ever." White said, shaking his head. "He'll kill them all. Every single other experiment."

"Somebody would be that cruel?" Lilo asked, horrified.

"I've met REAL scum before." Nick said quietly. "Scum who were lower than TRASH. Kolobos and his owner…Shadow, he was awful too…and Leroy. LEROY…"

Nick gaped. "Wait…where IS Leroy? He should be here!"

Ahinahina sighed. "He's not here. We think…he didn't really DIE…"

"Then who's this new foe we've got to face?" Lilo asked.

…

…

…

…. "Here comes the airplane! BRRRRRRRBBBB!" Dan said happily, holding the spoon full of peas high into the air before making it go right into Charlie's mouth. Charlie chewed happily, then swallowed…

Then he began coughing a little. "HAGK-HAGK…sorry, Dan…I don't wanna getcha sick too." He apologized.

"It's fine, really." Dan insisted as they sat in Charlie's room. Toys littered the ground left and right as Charlie and Dan sat at a wooden table with animals carved into the wood. "Now then…" He held up an apple juice box. "Here, drink this, it's got lots of Vitamin C!"

From up above a hillside, she watched, her dark purple eyes glinting, her outfit glistening in the sun. By her side he hovered on his insectoid wings, a beetle experiment with blue eyes, three small stubby digits on his appendages and a blue/purple body.

"They don't LOOK strong. But they've survived this long, so they must have some strength."

"BBZZT…indeed." The beetle said, nodding his head. "Dan izzz a skilled bbbeing."

"Well, we're more skilled." His partner remarked, flashing her zipper-toothed grin. "Let us say…_hello_."

**Dan: Who are you?!**

**???: Wouldn't you like to know? **

**Charlie: Dan, come on, please don't leave me!**

**???: We're not the ONLY onezzzz you should bbbe worried about, kid.**

**Nick: An absolute monster takes the stage on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	63. A Melody of Life and Death!

**CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE**

**生と死のメロディー****!**

**A Melody of Life and Death!**

--------------------------------------

Dan sighed as Charlie finished up his juice box. "Something seems to be bothering you." He announced. "I can see it in your eyes, Charlie."

Charlie frowned. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing, really. It was just some dumb nightmare." He insisted. "I just wish I could have gone with the others though…but…"

He began coughing madly. Dan gently patted Charlie on the head as the blond-haired child sipped some more apple juice. "I'll…I'll hafta write 'em." He decided. "I really wanted to know what all the fuss was about."

"Was your nightmare bad?" Dan inquired.

"It was CREEPY." Charlie admitted as he lay back on his bed. "This creepy black thing showed up. He reminded me of that jerk Leroy. But…I kinda feel bad for Leroy. He shoulda had a good…what's the term?"

"Mentor figure?" Dan suggested.

"Yeah!" Charlie's face brightened. "He should have had a good mentor figure like I have with you!"

Dan blushed nervously. "Aw, Charlie, you don't have to talk about me like that-"

SCHUMMA-WHOOOM!

A dark portal of swirling energy appeared in the middle of the room and they both turned their heads as a beetle-like experiment stepped inside. Dan's eyes opened wide. "303, Amnesio!" He gasped.

"Who's he?" Charlie inquired.

"My power revolvezzz around portals and dimensions, bbbboy!" Amnesio announced, buzzing slightly. "Now then, I suggest you prepare yourself for your hardest fight yet. I'll bbbe waiting outzzzide for you."

With that, Amnesio stepped back out through the portal and Charlie turned to Dan. "Is he good?"

"I don't honestly know…" Dan admitted. "He used to simply erase memories. Could he have gotten an upgrade for the competition?...he must have. Still, we'll win." He said, nodding his head.

…

…

…

…Dan stood there, his tail blade arched up and ready as he circled around Amnesio, Charlie walking right behind him. Amnesio's book keeper stood by his side as well…a girl with dark purple hair who looked vaguely gothic. She had dark eyeshadow and a grey/purple outfit. She looked them over.

"So are you going to make the first move or should I?" She inquired.

"Well how about telling us why you wanted to attack?" Charlie inquired. "I've got a COLD-ACHOOOOO!" He sneezed, sniffling slightly.

"EW." The girl frowned. "DISGUSTING human germs. And you want a why? BESIDES the fact that this is what the competition's all about? You're not that smart, are you boy…does your mother know you're out?" She inquired.

"Oh, Mom and Dad are out on a business trip. They'll be back…eventually." Charlie said, shrugging slightly.

"Trust me kid, mommy's eight feet in the ground and daddy's hangin' out in Vegas with a hooker. They ain't comin' back." The girl told him. "Them's the hard facts of life: nobody cares about anybody else. PERIOD."

"You're mean." Charlie mumbled, pouting. "Dan, let's beat their butts! **DIOFOCHE-FERRIUM!!**" Charlie cried out.

Dan's tail shot up as his body glowed, and an ENORMOUS violin bow blade held by a large glowing hand slammed the blade down towards Amnesio as the girl raised a light purple book up.

"**KOUCHUU!**" She read out.

SCHOOMA-WHOOOM! A glowing purple swatch of energy shot out from Amnesio's eyes as he concentrated, and it created a portal that enveloped the bow blade…and then…

CRA-CRAKA! It broke into a thousand tiny little pieces that fell to the ground, dissolving into nothingness.

"Oh WOW." Charlie gaped. "That's-CHOOOOO!" He sneezed again, then began coughing madly. Dan looked concerned, but Charlie held up a hand. "I'll be…be fine…just try smushing that bug without any spells!"

"Smushing that BUG? Oh no you di-in't, human!" The girl inquired, eyes narrowing as Dan rushed forward, slashing with his claws. Amnesio ducked up into the air, and Dan jumped up through the air, slashing rapidly with his bow blade, but Amnesio dodged them all, then slammed into Dan's body, forcing him to jump back as Amnesio hovered in the air, looking smug.

"You're going to have to do bbbetter that THAT, Dan." Amnesio told him in a condescending tone. "Though what could I expect from one who'zzz partner izzz a sickly human bbboy?"

Charlie began coughing worse than before and Dan ran to his side, holding onto his shoulder. He frowned at the sight of his book owner in such pain, then turned back to face the girl and Amnesio. "Could we please fight some other time? Charlie is very sick right now, he needs rest."

"Don't be stupid." The girl said, shaking her head. "Why would we want to give an opponent a break?"

"What if we said please?" Charlie asked.

The girl blinked. Then she started laughing so hard she began to CRY, and the sound of burning skin was heard as the tears ran down her cheeks. "HEE-HEE-HEE! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAA!!"

"…is that a "no"?" Charlie groaned, holding his head.

"That's a very big "no" indeed." Dan said, sighing.

"Tak, a spell if you don't mind?" Amnesio inquired.

"Hee-hee…oh, of course." Tak held up her light purple book and her grin was the work of DEMONS. "Here it comes! **KABUTOMUSHI!**" She read out.

Amnesio's eyes glowed brightly once more and he spun around in a circle, creating a circular portal that slowly hovered away from him as he re-righted himself in midair. He then clapped his appendages together and shouted. "EXXXXPAND!"

SCHOOMA-BOOOM! The dark purple circular portal suddenly BULGED up like a weather ball, with glowing blue spikes shooting out from it. It looked like the end of a mace, and it was heading right for Dan and Charlie!

"YIKES!" Charlie shouted, eyes going wide.

Dan grabbed ahold of him and jumped backwards through the air just in time as the attack slammed into the area of the ground where they HAD been. Tak smirked as the dust settled, revealing that Dan HAD been hit by the shockwave and was on the ground next to his partner, who was trying desperately to hold back more coughing fits.

"This is going to be too easy. I almost don't feel good about winning this. ALMOST." Tak remarked, turning to Amnesio.

Dan groaned and held his head, then turned over to look at Charlie. He knelt by his side, helping him up. "Hold on, Charlie, hold on…"

…

…

…

… "Hold on, human."

Dan frowned as the little boy faced him down, holding the book back to him. "You can READ this, dibbun?"

"I'm CHARLIE, not Dibbun!" Charlie insisted as he sat back down on the swing set on the playground he often hanged out at. It WAS only a few blocks away from his home.

"It means "little one" or "child" in Galactic." Dan explained. "So you can truly read my spells?" He asked.

"Yep. It was easy for me to read." Charlie said, nodding, swinging back and forth on the swing. "Hey, could you give me a push?"

"Where are your pootifah? Your…parents?" Dan asked of the boy.

Charlie shrugged. "Aw, they've gone away on a business trip. They I don't mind though, I can look after myself and stuff…" He admitted, coming to a halt on the swing.

Dan frowned deeply. This young boy was only SIX. Six years old! How could his parents take a business trip and leave someone like him alone?

"…do you like music?" He asked Charlie, taking out a violin, something ELSE he'd brought along in the fight besides his book. "Is there a tune you'd like me to play?"

"Uh…" Charlie blinked a few times. "Could you play "Twinkle-Twinkle-Little-Star?"

Dan smiled. "Yes. Let me show you how to TRULY play a stringed thing…"

...night had fallen soon. Tucking the little one into his bed, Dan smiled as he rustled the child's hair. "Would you like me to tell you a story?" He asked, holding up his violin. "The best part about my stories is they come with their own soundtrack!"

…

…

…

…Dan finally grit his teeth and pointed away. "Charlie, RUN." He said solemnly. Charlie blinked as Dan held up the book. "I'm going to give up the book so you won't get hurt anymore."

"B-but you can't do that!" Charlie insisted, clenching his fists. "You're supposed to stay with me! You're…you're not supposed to leave!" He began to cry.

"Charlie, you're young. One day you'll understand…" Dan said, looking away…or TRYING to. But his pupils turned to the side, unable to look away from his partner.

"I WANNA HEAR YOUR STORIES!!!" Charlie shouted, sobbing.

"I…I can't let you get hurt. You're not even out of elementary school." Dan mumbled. He held the book back up again. "I know the word "promise" isn't in your dictionary, alien being…but if I give you the book, will you leave my partner in peace?"

"Alien?" Charlie looked confused. The girl smirked.

"So you saw through my disguise?" She inquired.

"You smell of fall leaves." Dan remarked. "Fall leaves and a sickly, almond smell…you're not human."

"True." Tak calmly clapped her hands, and revealed her TRUE form…a greenish, insectoid-like alien with black antennae that was curled back, a caped outfit, black boots and three-digited, clawed, gloved hands. She grinned, showing off zipper-shaped teeth and pointed at Dan. "And sure, I'll burn your book and put you out of your misery and let the child go. But I'm surprised you aren't worried about your other friends."

"They're strong. They'll beat you." Dan said confidently.

Amnesio shook his head. "Us? I don't think so. And even then, our bozzzz'z the one they need to bbbe worrying about. He's going to slaughter every single experiment who'zzz left in the competition and then he'll track down all the other ones and kill THEM azzzz well."

"So it doesn't matter if you're sent back to the lab. He'll kill you anyhow." Tak finished.

A horrible chill ran through Dan and Charlie. They stood there, gazing at Amnesio and Tak. And then…

SNATCH!

Charlie grabbed his book out of Dan's hands and flipped it open. "Somebody like THAT sounds awful! And I ain't going to let a jerk as big as that be the champion! So come on, you…you STUPID BUGS!" He grinned. "Ever seen those glass cases that house the different pieces of big, fancy bugs? I always wondered how they managed to cut up all those pieces…well I've got a spell that's gonna do just that to bad guys like YOU! **FLOS DUELLATORUM!**"

Dan crouched on his knees and cupped his palms as a beautiful red rose open up, seemingly from nowhere. Right before everyone's eyes it grew and grew to enormous size before opening up above his head, the petals parting to reveal ENORMOUS blades hidden within. It turned itself to face Amnesio and Tak and the blades shot forward through the air right at them!

"Wow. Pretty." Tak admitted, eyes wide. "Too bad I've got to stop it. **KAMIKIRIMUSHI!**" She yelled out, holding her book up.

Amnesio flew into the air and his eyes and body glowed brightly as he crunched up into a ball that swirled around and around, shooting out enormous balls of purple energy that soared through the air…and struck the oncoming swords.

Charlie gasped in horror as the swords were sucked up into Amnesio's portals and Tak smirked. "Against a non-organic source they prove to be QUITE effective. And as for organics…well…you're about to find out firsthand, boy!"

One of the balls soared right towards Charlie, who stood there like a deer frozen in headlights…but Dan was quick. He rolled to the side and grabbed Charlie…

And the book was knocked out of his hands. The portal ball attack struck it hard and in a blaze of fire it began to burn as Dan held tightly to Charlie.

"Dan, I'm sorry, I lost my grip on…Dan?" Charlie gasped at the sight of Dan crying…SOBBING.

"I wanted to stay here…" He admitted. "I wanted to stay and sing you more songs…I wanted to play for you more on my violin…Charlie, your…your parents LEFT you, and I thought that was just too cruel…I didn't want to leave you all alone in this world…" He sobbed, burying his face in the little boy's shoulder. "I'm so sorry I have to leave…I'm so, so sorry…just…"

He pulled away and held Charlie's hands, blue staring into blue. "Promise me you'll be strong…PROMISE me…"

"I will." Charlie said, sniffling. "I will."

Dan smiled. "You're a great kid, Charlie." He said, placing his hand on the child's cheek. He then pulled Charlie close and began to sing a soft lullaby. "Hush little baby don't say a word…momma's gonna buy you a mockingbird…and if that mockingbird don't sing, momma's gonna buy you a diamond ring…and if that diamond ring don't-"

Tak and Amnesio looked at the scene and said absolutely nothing. Amnesio just raised his arm and summoned up a portal that he and his book keeper stepped into, just missing Dan's ascension into the heavens on light green streaks of light.

_"And if that horse and cart fall down…you'll be the sweetest little baby in town…"_

…

…

…

…Pleakley gently placed Charlie back on the bed as Lilo and Stitch listened to him tearfully recount his loss to the cruel Tak and her partner, Amnesio. Stitch listened intently, nodding occasionally, while Lilo felt sickened. Charlie was so YOUNG…and Tak and her partner had acted so COLDLY. The little guy was coughing every other minute, his cold getting into full swing, he'd OBVIOUSLY been sick, and yet they'd tracked down an easy target and had laughed in his face when he and his partner had asked for a tiny bit of mercy. That had been FAR too cruel.

"I promise you, we'll avenge what happened to you." Stitch swore. "I won't let somebody who wants to destroy all of the experiments succeed in their plan…and I won't forgive Tak and Amnesio for what they did to you either, Charlie!"

Charlie smiled. "You're really nice, guys…thanks." He said.

"I'm going to look after Charlie." Pleakley told them, folding his arms. "He'll need a LOT of care. Luckily I've got some herbal remedies that will have you fixed up in no time!" He told the young boy, rustling his hair with his long, three-digited hand.

"Who do you think would be able to track down somebody like Amnesio and Tak?" Lilo asked Stitch.

"Well, who do we know who can…" Stitch began.

BOINK! Their eyes went wide. They headed outside and Lilo got out her cell phone, calling Mr. White up.

BRIIING! BRIIIING!

"I-like-big-butts and I cannot lie! You other brothers can't deny! And when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist, and a round thing in your face you get-"

BEEP! White picked his cell phone up as he sat underneath a large umbrella, which protected his skin, which, although not as pale as most albinos, was STILL quite sensitive to the hot rays of the sun, meaning he had to be EXTRA careful at the beach. Ahinahina was sipping on a milkshake and sitting with Nick and Chopsuey as the sound of the ocean waves crashed to their left…Nick and Chopsuey were building sand castles.

"Hello, White's the name, foolin' around's my game. What can I do ya for?"

"White, it's me, Lilo."

"Ah, Lilo Pelekai, to WHAT do I owe the pleasure of this call?" White inquired, smirking. "Want my sign? No, lemme guess…a favor. But I don't do tricks unless I get a treat."

"I'll treat you to a knuckle sandwich if you don't answer me this question…have you seen a beetle-like experiment nearby?" Lilo growled through the cell phone.

White rubbed his chin. "No, I can't say I…oh." He looked up. "Now I CAN say I have. He's here, with some buggy thing as his partner…"

SCHOOOOM!

A blinding flash of light lit up the sky and from the portal that Amnesio had made, he hovered out, walking along the water to the beach, making Nick and Chopsuey gasp in amazement and fear. White's mouth hung open slightly, his body shaking madly.

"…what's wrong?" The experiment that now stood on the end of the beach inquired as the waves lapped at his feet. "You look shocked to see me. Surely you've heard about me by now?"

"LEROY…" Nick gasped.

"No, no, not quite." The being before them DID look much like Leroy. Ruffled ears, bent antennae…but he was much, MUCH different otherwise. Black fur with dark grey undertones. Soulless eyes. Golden teeth…many rings upon his fingers and a dark red symbol on the front of his body that looked like Angelic script reversed. Nick and White knew what it meant for some frightening reason though…it meant "Hatred".

And his body gave off the most chilling, frightening aura they'd EVER seen. It was demonic, pure and simple, OOZING and PULSING…his voice made them think of dark alleys and sewers that were filling with blood, made them want to lash out and SHUT him up, shut this horrid thing up and make him go away forever, this EVIL, VILE thing…

"Meet our leader, Kaiser." Tak explained. "He's going to-"

She stopped as Kaiser gave her a deep look, one eye partially hidden in shadow as a sick smile danced on his face.

"OnsecondthoughtheneedsnointroductionI'llbeoverhere!" Tak squeaked, hiding behind a palm tree some distance away with her partner.

"But my PARTNER does." Kaiser said, that same calm smile on his face as he clapped his hands together. Out from the portal she floated on a small bed…and Nick and Chopsuey recognized HER too.

"LILLITH!" Nick gasped.

The poor girl had seen better days. Her skin was flaking and pale, with some green splotches here and there. Her eyes were very sunk, her hair matted and filthy, her clothes covered in white splotches and she was mumbling softly, white stuff leaking out of her mouth as she lifted up her head to look at them.

"Whenever I want too…all I have to do…is dre-ee-eee-eee-eeeaaam…dream, dream, dream…" She sang out in a muddled, sing-song voice.

"Mother of all that's good and holy what did you DO to her?!?" Nick screamed in horror.

"I just had a little fun with her. That's all." Kaiser insisted. "She didn't have enough hatred in her so I decided to fool around with her mind. Now she's kept in almost total bliss all the time."

"She doesn't LOOK happy." Ahinahina growled.

"Do you HATE me?" Kaiser inquired, eyes glinted.

Chops gnashed his teeth together. "I want him to die SLOW, Nick…"

"Oh good, you do. Lillith?"

"**INVISUS.**"

PAIN…

Pain shooting up his arm, Chopsuey screamed to the heavens…

**Chopsuey: This guy's horrifying!**

**Nick: So much power in a single spell...do we have a chance at all?**

**Nightwing: Stand back. I'll take care of HIM...even if it KILLS me!**

**Kaiser: It just MIGHT on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	64. Bloody Surf: The Power of Hatred!

**CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR**

**血液で満たされたサーフ****: ****憎しみのパワー**

**Bloody Surf: The Power of Hatred!**

**-------------------------------------------------------**

Mother of Heck!

Nick had been fully prepared to deal with any freaky-looking foe that might come their way. He'd expected maybe some sort of super-huge demon, or a nine-tailed fox, or a floating head or something.

NOT Leroy brought back to life as this "Kaiser". Not with the appearance he had. And certainly not with Lillith looking the way she did.

Poor thing. Poor, sad creature.

But that pity had turned into fear at the sight of what had happened to Chopsuey's arm. A dome of dark blue energy had surrounded it, with purple sparks shooting up like a sword was being forged in the flames. In a matter of moments Chopsuey's arm was SMASHED, cuts and bruises appearing all over as blood oozed down from it.

"My power is focused on inflicting pain and suffering." Kaiser announced. "Such a lovely sound…a bit like the crunching of popcorn filled with juice…"

"You are one TWISTED, SICK…" Nick shouted.

"I'm going to get sicker." Leroy told him in a "matter of fact" manner. "You have no idea the powers I have."

"You sonofa!!!" Ahinahina shouted, rushing up through the air.

"**INVISUS.**"

"TWHAAAAA!!!" Ahinahina's scream is far, FAR too human. His pain is all too clear, his leg, which had been poised to knock off Kaiser's head, it now cracked and bruised, he has fallen to the ground and the blood is oozing out into the sand and surf below…

"I've got this…" White says. He rushes forward, so FAST…he PUNCHES Kaiser in the head.

Kaiser frowns. Some blood pours from the harsh wound he's endured. SOME.

"Fly."

SLASH!

A slash of claws across his chest, blood splurting up, staining his beautiful white hair and ripping his shirt to shreds…with this, White too falls down into the surf, the blood pouring out into the water.

And what of Stitch? What of Lilo?

"He's there! At the beach in Kokaua Town, we have to help them!" Lilo shouted, jamming her cell phone back into her pocket.

"Do you really believe you can defeat him, Lilo?" Nightwing asked sadly. "If you go now, you could die a thousand deaths all at once. That would truly sadden me to see your shining light snuffed out so cruelly."

"We have to help our friends, our cousins." Stitch said. "My…" He hesitates.

For a moment only. "My brother."

Haley smiled. She turned to Nightwing. "They're ready." She insisted. "You can use that gift my father gave you."

Nightwing smiled and nodded. "Very well. STAND BACK!"

They all stepped back as far as they could as the black dragon clenched his fist. His muscles bulged, growing to an enormous size, arms and legs and chest becoming RIPPED and BUFF. His wings grew even larger, veins sticking out of the membrane, and a purple blaze appeared in his eyes. Soon he had some large purple spikes curling from the top of his head among the others, pointing up higher and sharper than the golden ones behind them.

At last, an ENORMOUS dragon stood there, with spiked knuckles appearing on his clawed hands, his tail gaining a scythe-like protrusion at the end that was shaped like a crescent moon, and purple tattoos covering his body. He was at LEAST ten times bigger than he'd been before.

"How on EARTH did you get THAT change over you?" Stitch asked. "I mean…WOW."

"Haley's father is…well, it's a story for another time. Needless to say, by embracing the element of darkness, as well as using my own power of dark energy, which stems from feelings like sorrow and anger, I'm able to empower myself further than ever before!"

"Let's get going. They need us." Stitch said

…

…

…

… "You don't look too good." Kaiser remarked, sneering.

It took a lot of HATE to punch and kick somebody to death. And that's what Kaiser had been doing. He'd been beating Ahinahina and White up constantly while Chopsuey tried desperately to stop him, jumping at him over and over only to be grabbed and thrown away.

"WHAT'S-"

SCRUTCH!

"THE-"

SCRUTCH!

"MATTER?!?"

SCRUTCH!

Kaiser stood back over Ahinahina as the grey experiment moaned in pain, his face beat so badly it looked like somebody had tried to put out a fire he'd had on his face with a hammer and had failed badly. "Cat got your tongue? Actually…" He grinned. "That's not a bad idea. Say, Lillith, you like tongue-"

Chops leapt through the air, and Kaiser smirked as he approached. "Haven't you learned your lesson ye-"

SCHWOOSH!

Chops's paw opened and he tossed sand into Kaiser's eyes. The experiment snarled as he leapt back…

"**PERCUTIO!**"

SCHA-WHOOM! A metallic ball was sunk into Leroy's body and Chops aimed to fire a fist blast at the evil being. Nick raised his book and-

Too late.

"**ODIUM!**"

A blazing light spread from Kaiser, as red fire circled his body, wrapping tighter and tighter yet doing nothing to HARM him…

But there was suddenly a loud POPPING noise and Leroy spat out a rusted shell from his mouth…the Percutio ball had been burnt to cinders and was now nothing more than scrap that began to melt away before their eyes.

"You…YOU…YOU!!!" Chops howled angrily. "NICK! USE KIMAIRA!!!"

"Alright, here we go!" Nick shouted. "**KIMAIRA!**"

FA-WHOOOM! Chops's battered body summoned forth the blazing beast of aura and it roared as it launched itself at Kaiser, pinning him down into the surf and biting into his body…

"AAA!" Tak and Amnesio hid behind a tree even FARTHER away, shivering like mad. They REALLY didn't wanna die! And Leroy was getting slashed and burnt and cut all over, the blood pouring out…now the ocean was becoming RED with…

But Lillith simply held up her book and frowned. "**ODIO ESSE!**"

Leroy spread out his paws and two ENORMOUS clawed paws appeared. They thrust up through the air, claws first, and impaled the eyes of the beast. As it reeled back, Leroy hovered up through the air and pointed at it with both paws. "Lillith…THAT spell."

"**MALEVOLUS.**"

The black experiment's entire body SURGED with power and an enormous black wave of energy shot up. As they looked closely they could see FACES occasionally popping out from the folds within, screaming and snarling as purple fire twirled around it. The attack soared over Kasier's head, then SLAMMED into Kimaira, and the aura beast was dissolved before their eyes.

"Oh…my…GOD…" Nick gasped out as Kaiser stood up, not looking NEARLY as wounded as he should have been. "He should have been TOASTED by that. He's…he's a MONSTER!"

"Ah, you summed me up with but a word…monster." Kaiser remarked, finding his claws VERY fascinating to look at. "But I'm very bored with listening to you speak and quite frankly, I'd like to eat your dripping hearts."

"Mine's made of pure chaos…" White said, helping Ahinahina stand up. "Is that gonna be a problem?"

"No, I enjoy exotic foods." Kaiser laughed happily, raising his paw again. "Lillith, one more time!" He called out.

"Oh God-"

"**MALEVOLUS.**"

FUDDA-WHOOOOOM!

…

…

…

…he's not dead. He knows this because he can still feel the aching pain in all his limbs, that subtle burning, but more importantly, he knows he's not dead because of that warmth, that loving, beautiful warmth that his partner is giving him as he clings tightly onto him, eyes wide with amazement and awe…

Awed at their saviors. At the ENORMOUS dragon who's just blocked the attack with his scaly arms.

Pleased as punch to see Haley…and obviously Nightwing. And them.

Lilo! Stitch! HERE!

"Well isn't THIS interesting." Kaiser inquired. "Uh, Tak, Amnesio, kindly get LOST. I'd like to deal with these…INSECTS…" He added with deliberate double insult. "On my own."

But Tak was FAR too afraid of Kaiser to even get REMOTELY mad at this jab. With a yelp she and her partner are OUT of there. And Nightwing looks MAAAAAD.

"**ATRUM-PASSIM!"**

Nightwing's wings stretched out and an enormous force of rain the color of his black scales shot down from the heavens, aiming to sizzle and cook and surge and wipe Kaiser from existence. Unfortunately it's not that simple. Lillith stood by her partner as Kaiser lifted both paws up and…

"**PRAEJUDICARE!**" She shouted out.

SHA-FOOM! A burning pillar of fire surrounded them, and as the rain hit it, it dissolved into little black clouds that slowly vanished in the air.

"I'm going to make you pay for this, Kaiser." Nightwing stated. "The ocean's been stained red with blood of innocent, good people. Worse still you have stricken your partner with a personality that makes it impossible for her to speak her mind."

"Says you." Kaiser remarked, shrugging. "And when I'm FINISHED with you, I am going to hang you from the highest palm I can find." He then waved a claw in the air, eyes closed, and began to sing. "Oooohhhh!"

"What the HELL?!" White snapped.

"Only God can make a tree to furnish sport for you and me!" Kaiser sang out joyfully, making a gesture with his paw and arm so that it appeared he was strangling himself with a rope.

"This guy is BEYOND sick." Nick realized out loud.

"God, I hate you people!" Kaiser announced.

"The feeling is mutual!" Nightwing shouted, rushing forward and swinging his scythe-like protrusion that was at the end of his tail.

"He's gotten STRONGER." Chopsuey realized as Leroy ducked to the side, dodging the scythe. "I can feel it. Look at his EYES."

"Yeah, he seems more…dedicated than before. There's a new ferocity to him." Nick remarked as Nightwing swung his clawed fist, opening it up to grab ahold of Leroy.

BA-BAM!

Leroy stopped it with his paws and frowned. "You're very annoy-"

"**PUNCHITO!**"

BA-WHOOM! Stitch launched a fist blast and it soared through the air towards Kasier…

Who quickly rolled to the side. Nightwing jumped back as the fist blast hit the area of the beach where he HAD been and Kaiser frowned. "Oh, so you want to play it ROUGH, do you?"

He leapt through the air and held up a paw as Lillith read off another spell. "**IRACUNDI!**"

SCHWING! A glowing lance that had a skull for a handle, made up of bones and flesh that were hewn together now LAUNCHED themselves at the group, but Nightwing's tail shot forward and with a CLANG he knocked the attack back.

"Thanks to the blessing of the Dark Dragon, I've gained power. Enough to stop you, you hateful little thing!" Nightwing roared out.

"No…I don't think so." Kaiser growled angrily.

SCHAWHUCK!

Kaiser twirled around and THRUST the blade, and it struck hard into Nightwing's shoulder and arm, making him scream as he stepped back, trying to suck it in.

"**GIGANO-PUNCHITO!**" Lilo yelled out, holding the book up high as Stitch's fist glowed brightly with blue energy. He swung hard and the glowing blast soared through the air at incredible speed…

Leroy jumped to the side, dodging it with a smirk…

Then his eyes went wide as he saw Nightwing racing RIGHT towards him at full speed, moments away from slamming his harshly-knuckled fist into his face.

Yet with speed that seemed almost impossible, Leroy DID dodge it, and Nightwing soared into the beach with a mighty crash, his body now wracked with intense pain. His arm felt like it was on fire, the others were all horrified with Leroy's speed and power…how could they beat him?

"I can read your every move, B--CHES." Leroy laughed. "And I'm going to destroy every single one of you. I think I'll begin with…" He pointed at Lilo. "You. You look interesting!"

He jumped forward through the air, but Stitch blocked his path, jumping up and punching. Leroy quickly shifted his weight and dropped to the ground, then kicked off the ground. Stitch jumped at him again and swung his fists and kicked quickly over and over as Leroy kept dodging…but eventually he got tired of this and grabbed Stitch's neck, claws digging in.

"MY turn!" He announced. He raised his fist and PUMMELED Stitch's stomach over and over, singing out loud. "Oh, even when the darkest clouds are in the sky, you mustn't cry, you mustn't sigh, spread a little happiness as you go by, please tryyyyyy!!!"

BAM! He finally punched Stitch across the face and tossed the battered body back to Lilo, who caught Stitch and helped him back to his feet. "Oh come on, is that it?" Kaiser asked.

"Why the heck are you doing this?!" Lilo demanded to know.

"You don't GET IT, do you?" Kaiser snarled. "I am both Leroy and NOT him! I am a force that you can't stop! I'm HATRED, you stupid Hawaiian c—t! Pure and simple!"

"You're…hate?" Lilo asked. She didn't get it.

"When Leroy DIED, he could not ACCEPT the concept of mercy that Chops had offered him. It made no sense. He was lost in the abyss and struggling for a foothold…and as his soul hovered around, waiting for an answer, I came from the Other Side. I am what he should have been, what he was always meant to be! I am the power of Hatred given life once again! And I hate you experiments. All of you. So I've decided I'm just going to kill you all." Kaiser told them, eyes glinting.

"You can't DO that!" Lilo shouted.

"And why NOT?" Kaiser inquired.

"You are NOT a god! You're not their creator! You don't get to decide who lives or dies!" Lilo shouted. "Just because YOU have a problem with the others doesn't mean WE have to let you do whatever you want to them!"

"Selfish BRAT!" Stitch growled at Kaiser. "You don't DESERVE to become champion."

"And what about YOU?" Kaiser asked Lilo, smirking. He closed his eyes, speaking VERY clearly. "All you cared about was making Stitch champion. Did you ever once stop to think about whether or not other people might want to be champion as well? No. All you care about is your own partner and your immediate circle of friends, like Victoria and Snooty, and Kioko and Angel. Stitch was only interested in gaining power."

Chops's body quivered. He looked over at Stitch. And then…

"NO!" Stitch shouted. "That is NOT why I wanted to become the champion!" He roared out, stretching out his arms. "I underwent HELL in my training! I was tested over and over, I got stitches all over my body…hence the name." He clenched his fists. "All I have EVER wanted out of this competition was to prove to Jumba that I was worth something! That his latest creation wasn't worthless!"

Chops's mouth hung open slightly. Nick blinked in surprise.

"And even THEN that wasn't the only thing! I began to care about other people, about Victoria and Snooty and Kioko and Angel! I would have done ANYTHING to make sure they were happy! And I fought against those that endangered innocent lives! I grew to be a defender of the good! Yeah, my motives may not have been completely pure from the beginning, but I've not gotten worse from meeting with Lilo…she's helped me become better, not just in strength of body but in strength of heart! I understand that a champion shouldn't just care about power! He should care about OTHERS too! And I will NEVER forget what my partner and her friends have done for me! Not EVER!!!"

Nightwing smiled, standing up as blood dripped down, dribbling out of his cheek.

Haley tilted her head to the side, smiling slightly as well. "Heh." She chuckled.

White closed his eyes and nodded, smiling a little, satisfied with the answer.

Ahinahina grinned broadly at hearing this, clasping his hands together.

Nick rubbed his mood necklace and sighed happily.

And Chops…Chopsuey felt tears streaming down his cheeks as he looked at Stitch, his body shaking with deep sorrow and guilt.

"BROTHER…" He sobbed, making Stitch turn around. "I…all I wanted was to prove that I was just as good as YOU..."

Stitch blinked in surprise.

"I had only wanted Jumba to think of me as useful…I never knew you had the same goal…" He hung his head. "I…I've been an IDIOT…"

He looked up, eyes glaring. "AND YOU HURT MY LITTLE BROTHER!!!" He roared out at Leroy.

"And what are YOU going to do about it? You're weak. Or perhaps your PARTNER will try something?" Leroy sneered. "What's HIS power?"

"A POOR UPBRINGING!" Nick shouted.

Leroy turned around too late. He hadn't noticed that Nick hadn't been among the others…he'd snuck up behind him and now he KICKED him through the air, and Leroy hit a large rock that was at the far end of the beach, sliding down it, blood dripping down from the corner of his mouth. He glared hatefully at Nick…

"**CREDERE POSTHAC!**" Nick read out, holding the green book up as it glowed brightly. Chopsuey held up his palms and a beautiful rainbow aura surrounded them, swirling around as he extended his extra arms. Enormous cannons and missile launchers appeared on his persons, and his maw opened up. Then and there, small beams of light began to converge at a single point in front of his maw, forming a large, glowing white orb…

"DODGE THIS, AGENT SMITH!" Nick yelled out.

KA-CHIK! CHUDDA-CHUDDA-CHUDDA! The cannons unloaded their cartridges!

KAWHOOSH! The missile launchers raced through the air!

THA-SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The brilliant ball of light soared through the air…all of the attacks were heading right towards Kaiser!

"**LIBIDONIS!**"

SHA-FWOOOM!

It was perhaps the most MESSED-UP woman they'd ever seen. Her long black hair sailed out from behind her and she was completely naked save for a skimpy one-piece. She had skin that was pure white, blood red eyes, and ruby red lips…but her eyes were alit with fire, her nails were far, FAR too long, and she had tattoos on her legs and arms…angelic script reversed. She calmly tore the one-piece off and…

Yeah, I'll bet you were expecting some description of a naked body, huh, ya sickos? Well not quite. An enormous black PORTAL of black ooze promptly circled around her, acting as a sort of "Censored" black-bar, and she positioned herself in front the attack, blocking it from hurting Leroy. Every single piece of the attack was sucked up and dissipated into the abyss, and with a giggle, she vanished into thin air…

"Well, we're boned." Nick announced.

"Not quite. Stitch…Chopsuey…" Nightwing stepped forward. "I wish to tell you something. At first I only sought my own selfish goals. Now I have a new purpose. Jumba forces dark personalities on experiments who do not wish to fight, who have no fighting instinct within them. He turns them into monsters." He sighed and hung his head. "Gigi was one such example. Poor little thing…turned into a savage beast. It broke her partner's heart to see her become the way she did…"

He then lifted his head up and smiled at all of them. "Do you think…if one of you becomes the champion…you could convince Jumba to stop that practice?"

Stitch and Chops blinked. Then they nodded.

"Yeah…I think we could." Stitch said.

"I'm counting on you. It has been an honor to see you both in action." Nightwing told them. "I'll end this."

He rushed forward, body soaring through the air as his wings spread out and Kaiser held his paw up. "LILLITH!" He called out.

"**HELLUONIS!**"

Kaiser's maw opened up and his teeth shot out through the air, slicing into Nightwing's bruised arm and BITING it off! It fell to the ground and Kaiser smirked as Nightwing kept soaring at him. "Oh, it looks like you're falling to pieces! Well once you're gone, I can get the genocide started..."

"**HELLUONIS!**"

ANOTHER arm was bitten off…Nightwing had endured too much damage…now he had wounds that were going to slowly kill him and as a result, his book was becoming alit with fire…

But still Nightwing kept SOARING! By now Kaiser was getting scared. He gasped and held up both paws. "Lillith, quick, I need-"

SCLHLORK!

A final addition of blood to the ocean below…that of Kaiser's. His body had been IMPALED by one of the curled spikes atop of the dark dragon's head. Kasier let out a horrid gasp as blood pooled out from his mouth and a smirking Nightwing turned to the others, flying back slowly, both his arms gone. He sank to his knees and transformed back to his normal form, though his arms still were no longer there, and he smiled.

"I'm counting on you, remember." He said again. "I know I've been rather…cruel at times to you all. If there's still a laboratory when this is over, I'd like to share a drink with you. Maybe sake…" He added, his body turning into purple specks of light that were vanishing into the sky. "I've heard it's a lovely drink."

He felt Haley wrap her arms around him and he smiled. "Haley…keep our child safe. And don't…cry."

With that, he was gone.

**Nick: Kaiser's GOTTA be dead by now!**

**Kaiser: Oh no I'm not...and I will return! STRONGER than before!**

**Lilo: Then we've gotta "power up".**

**Tak: I'm thinkin' WE should have some fun with these idiots on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	65. Can Hard Work Really Pay Off?

**CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE**

**本当にハードワークを完済することはできますか？**

**Can Hard Work Really Pay Off?**

**---------------------------------------------- **

Kaiser was now lying on his knees, the ocean waves lapping up against his back as Lillith stood by his side, blinking slowly, holding onto the book in one limp arm. Kaiser gurgled occasionally, the blood dripping out from his mouth, then at last he spoke in a very, VERY pained tone.

"TAK!...AMNESIO!"

WHA-WHOOOM!

The insect pair appeared from a portal, lifting him and Lillith up as Kaiser went on. I'M…NOT…DEAD." He gasped out. "And I will…RECOVER…" He insisted. "This isn't fatal to ME…in five months I'll return and I'll be far stronger than I was before!"

He gave Tak and her partner a look. "And when that moment comes, I won't need YOUR help either." He added coldly. The two shivered in fear as Kaiser turned back to face the others. "You couldn't beat me before…your little dragon friend had to get a lucky shot in! Do you think you can beat me in five months when I get even STRONGER?"

"The difference between a god and a monster is that a monster can be killed. And we'll find out for sure what you really are in five months!" Lilo shouted. "Because WE'LL be stronger too!"

"And so will Chops and me!" Nick said, shaking his fist at Kaiser. "Now go back to the rock you crawled out from!"

"I rezzzent that!" Amnesio shouted. "All these speciesist commentzzz…"

WHA-WHOOMP! He, Tak, Kaiser and Lillith vanished into the portal. Nick, Chops, Lilo, Stitch, Ahinahina, White and Haley all looked at each other.

"We need to get the group together and have a talk." White finally said.

…

…

…

….it was the day after the big fight, and everyone sat on a big quilted blanket, having a picnic…yet nobody was in the mood for food, save for Ahinahina, who had just finished up a ham and cheese and was now sucking away on an Icee. Spud and Morph were there, as were Crystallene and Yuuku, and Dude and Heartwing.

"There has to be SOME way to power ourselves up." Lilo wondered out loud, looking over at Stitch.

"I know there SHOULD be." Nick admitted. "But I can't think of any at the moment."

"Luckily for all of you, I know a way."

Everyone turned their heads to see a white, albino rabbit wearing a big jacket on his person…and a large, knowing smile. Crystallene blinked. Yuuku spoke up. "How'd you know where we were?"

"I could smell where you were and HEAR you." He said, pointing first at his nose, then at his large ears. "Sheesh, use your head, my dear!"

Crystallene frowned angrily, her paws curling up, imagining what it would be like to strangle him AGAIN.

"Lemme guess…somebody caught the big fight on their cell phone or something and posted it on the internet?" Spud asked. "I imagine SOMEBODY must have seen what happened at the beach."

"_Tres astute_. Clever boy. See, this is why you're a prodigy." Dr. Rupert said, clapping his paws together and grinning. "Now then, I imagine you wish to know how to get stronger?"

All of them nodded. Dr. Rupert grinned and pulled something out of his jacket's pocket, which folded out into a hat, which he put on his head. Then he grinned and tossed it into the air, then caught it in his other paw, rummaging through the insides. "Alright, let's see who's going to go first! And…it's…"

He pulled out a slip of paper. "Crystallene!"

He walked over to Crystallene and looked her over, tail twitching. Then he took her paw and looked it over, tracing one digit along it. "Hmm. HMMM…ah ha!" He nodded, then closed his eyes. Nick gaped at the sight, as did Ahinahina and White…and Lilo too!

"Woah." Lilo announced. The doctor seemed to be glowing slightly with a white and blue aura for a moment…but then it vanished as he let go of Crystallene. "Did you see that?" She asked Stitch.

"See what? Him holding her paw?" He asked. "I don't get it…"

"No, that glowing he did…" Lilo said, shaking her head.

"Oh, you saw it too?" Nick asked. "Woah, that means something. It MUST mean something…but what?" He wondered, rubbing his chin.

"OOOOH." Heartwing said, spreading his arms wide to reveal the scale of the brightness he'd seen.

"It means you can see the way that GODS do." Dr. Rupert told them. "You're connected to forces that are so powerful that they're almost totally beyond understanding. In any case, the good news is this…all Crystallene needs is TRAINING." He smiled and patted Crystallene on the head, then turned back to his hat, picking it up and going through it again. Next up…

"Oh MY." Dr. Rupert let go of Heartwing's hand and rubbed his chin. "There's a place where you can gain power. You must head to the holy cities of Mecca, Jerusalem and Vatican City."

"Vatican City? Mecca? Jerusalem?" Dude looked confused. "How come we gotta go there, man?"

"There you will unlock the power you need!" Dr. Rupert explained, looking benignly at the hopped-out hippie. "Now then…who shall I do next?"

"Oh, Chops, Chops!" Nick said, holding Chops's arm in the air. Dr. Rupert smiled and took experiment 621's paw, looking it over.

"Hmm…hmm, yes, I know of a place YOU can train too." Dr. Rupert grinned happily and turned over to Nick. "Ever seen "The Karate Kid"? There's a lovely place on Kauai where you can do the same breed of training Daniel LaRusso underwent…BOTH of you."

"Cool! Does this mean I can finally learn "Kajukenbo"?" Nick asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes. And Kim…"

Kim Possible emerged from behind a tree, giving them all a big grin.

"Will help you." Dr. Rupert finished, gesturing towards the super-spying redhead.

"It's gonna be tough, though." Kim told Nick. "Think you two can handle the pressure?"

"We HAVE to." Chops insisted.

"Yeah, or Kaiser's gonna kill every single one of the experiments!" Nick insisted. "We can go the distance!"

"Now for you two." Dr. Rupert held Stitch's paw. "Hmm. Yes, I see. You too need some training. But luckily, your body is getting stronger and stronger, as is your heart's resolve, and THAT is increasing the strength of your attacks. With lots and lots of practice, you'll be able to win. Now then…that leaves little Morpholomew!"

He turned to Morpholomew and took his blobby appendage, then gasped. "Oh my LORD"! He gasped, taking a step back. "You…you've got an ENORMOUS power within you!" He whispered. "It's…it's FRIGHTENING…" He turned even paler than he USUALLY was, but composed himself. "In any case, there's a way to bring it out."

He turned to Lilo and Stitch. "I want you two to battle him. And to go all out. COMPLETELY." He turned back to Morpholomew. "And Morpholomew, under these circumstances, the power will come out. You just have to indulge in your most realistic dream…using your power to change in the most practical way possible. But I'll come with you to make sure you hold back."

"How bad could this power BE?" Lilo asked.

…

…

…

… "Heh-heh…"

"Hah…hah…"

Lilo and Stitch panted heavily, both were covered in dust and dirt, and Stitch had many wounds on his body. Morpholomew, in contrast, had not a single scratch on his body.

"We're going to have to use "Ryo-Dioruk", Stitch…it's the one thing we haven't tried yet…" Lilo gasped out.

"I'm ready." Stitch said, nodding his head. "Give it your all, Lilo!"

"**RYO DIORUK!**"

SCHA-WHOOOM! Stitch's body glowed brightly with an aura of a thousand colors as his strength, endurance and agility increased. He'd powered up! Rushing forward at Morpholomew, he leapt thorugh the air and-

SNAP-SNAP!

Lilo woke up with a start. She'd fainted on the ground, and as she looked up she saw Dr. Rupert's red eyes staring into her own brown ones.

"It's a good thing I told Morpholomew to hold back. If I hadn't, you would have died." Dr. Rupert informed them solemnly. He turned his head towards Morpholomew, who was sweating visibly in shock. "Well…you should be proud of yourself, I suppose. You beat Lilo and Stitch."

Morpholomew blinked nervously. "I…I did, didn't I? I…I DID." He held one "hand" up to his mouth, which opened wider and wider, and then he grinned happily and held Spud's hands, and Spud swirled him around and around in the air.

"WOOHOO!" Spud yelled. "We DID it, my little blob buddy!" He cheered.

"I did it, I did it, I did it!" Morphlomew laughed happily.

Spud put Morpholomew down on the ground and the little red blob began to dance and sing. "Weeeee are the champions…my frieeeeend! And weeeee'll keep on fightiiiing…to the eeeeend!"

"Be careful." Dr. Rupert told Spud quietly as Morpholomew bounded around in a giddy joy. "Things are about to get very, VERY dangerous for you."

…

…

…

… "Hmm…hmm…"

Crystallene stood underneath a waterfall, hands clasped together, singing softly to herself as the rain splashed around a glassy shield that resembled the little bubble that the good witch from the "Wizard of Oz" had surrounded herself in. "After the rain…the sun will reappear, there is liiiife…after the pain…the joy will still be here, there is liiiiiife…for it's out of the darkness that we learn to see…and out of the silence that songs come to be…and all that we dream of waits patientlyyyy…there is liiiiiiiiiiife…"

Stitch was hard at work, pumping iron. Or rather, in this case, large rock walls.

"RRRRRGH!" He shouted, as he began to slowly but surely lift the small hill of heavy rocks up over his head, his body bulging, muscular veins sticking out of his arms and legs.

Lilo, meanwhile, was doing push-ups while Dr. Rupert stood next to her, looking over a snazzy metal clipboard. "Okay, tell me, Kaiser is directly attacking you. How do you react?"

"Physical attack or special ability?" She asked, pushing herself up again.

"Physical."

"Location?"

"Grassy field."

"Drop and roll if he tries to grab at me, have Stitch aim an attack at him and let it rip."

Dr. Rupert nodded, grinning. "Good, good!"

Meanwhile…

"Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem…Pie Jesu domine, dona eis requiem sempiternam…"

A bunch of monks were reciting the Requiem Mass known as the "Pie Jesu" as they headed on their way to a mass for the dead. Dude and Heartwing, who were dressed up monk's garb walked alongside of them, with Heartwing glowing a visible shade of pure white, his face looking serene as he repeated the next line. "Pie Jesu, qui tollis peccata mundi…dona eis requiem…"

…

…

…

… "I don't BELIEVE it." Spud remarked.

Mr. Jameson and Nosy were there, in Spud's fancy condo at Brooklyn, with Morpholomew sitting by Spud. Both Spud and his blobby partner was shocked by what Jameson and Nosy were telling them.

"You're a **sensation**? For REAL?" Spud asked. "How on Earth's THAT possible?"

"Simple." Nosy said, grinning. "I've been goin' to county fairs pretendin' to be a performing pig! Ever seen "Babe"?"

"The original movie made me cry a little." Spud admitted sheepishly. "It was…beautiful, man!"

"Well he's the "Babe" to my Farmer Hogget." Jameson told Spud and Morpholomew. "We came up with a plan…we're going to earn lots of money and build a shelter that we can use to hide out until it's safe for Nosy to come back out."

Spud immediately felt some pity for them and he sighed sadly. "And you want me to give you a place to stay while you make this dream possible and perform more and more?"

Mr. Jameson grinned nervously. "Er…if you don't mind?"

"Doo-doo-da-doo-doo." Morpholomew sang out. "Doo-doo-da-doo…da-doo…da-dooo."

"…doo-doo-da-doo-doo." Nosy sang back. "Doo-doo-da-doo, da-do, da-doooo!"

"…nah. I don't mind." Spud said, shrugging. "In fact, how about we watch "Babe" together? I got the DVD…"

…

…

…

…it didn't take that long for the guys to bond. Granted, Spud found it disgusting that Jameson's pubes clogged up the shower drain…

"What ARE you?! A RED APE?!?"

And Jameson found it unnerving that Spud gathered up his toenails and glued them together to make art…

"I call this one the Leaning Toe-Er of Pisa!"

"URK!"

"Jameson, you're turnin' red…"

"OHHH…"

"Oh my, now you're turning GREEN…"

The two humans…and their partners, were having fun. Which was going to make it all the more tragic when IT took place.

You see, Amnesio and Tak were bored.

"I'm bbbboooooored!" Amnesio announced as Tak began licking some soft-serve ice cream, which had just enough sugar in it to keep her from puking it up…ESPECIALLY if you added chocolate chips! "I wanna fight! I want action! All Leroy doezzz is sleep in his room…"

Lillith was absentmindedly dancing around the room, drawing on the walls. "A plus…plus…plus…plus!" She sang out. Apparently she was acting out her favorite movie, "A Christmas Story".

"Well, you're right. It's been three months and I'm bored too." Tak said, sighing. "Leroy can sense any foe from far away, even when he's sleeping…so I guess it wouldn't hurt just to slip out for a few days to go looking for some entertainment." She grinned. "So do you have a preference for a place? Or PERSON?"

"I'm thinkin'…BBBROOKLYN." Amnesio said, and he would have sneered if he could have.

…

…

…

…Meanwhile, Nosy was feeding the ducks at the park. Morpholomew had already headed back to the condo, but Nosy wanted to take a few more minutes to relax here. But he was now thinking back to the other people he'd been partnered up with…Slobber and Jam…

"I let those guys down. I mean, Slobber was kind of a loser, and Jam was creepy, but…I let 'em down." Nosy admitted. "I need to leave that loser I was behind. I'm responsibubble now. I'm not gonna screw things up. Not THIS time." He said. He tossed the last of the bread crumbs into the pond, then headed down the street, heading towards the condo…

SHA-WHOOM!

A shadow cast over him. He heard the buzzing of wings, and turned slowly around.

"Hello, 199…Nosy…" 303, Amnesio remarked, a cruel glint in his eyes.

…

…

…

…Jameson looked around, frowning, brushing his red hair back. Where was Nosy?

"…aaaa…"

A scream. A squealing scream from far away.

NOSY!

Indeed. Nosy was running for his life, with Tak and Amnesio chasing after him, Tak's giggling turning into full-fledged evil laughter as spider-legs extended from a strange, circular backpack of some sort that was on her back.

"That's it, run piggy, RUN!" She yelled out. "I feel like PORK CHOPS TONIGHT!"

"Bbbut you don't eat mmmeat." Amnesio spoke up.

"Yeah, Irkens aren't carnivorous in design, their diet is sugar and sweet-based, if they eat at all!" Nosy shouted, sweat pouring down his brow as he ran for his life.

"How does he know THAT?" Tak inquired.

"Nozzzzy always knows a ridiculous amount of knowledge. Mostly bbbbecause he sneaks around and into people's rooms and desks or onto the internet, letting viruzzzes into Jumbbbba's computer…" Amnesio remarked.

"Hey, that was a low blow!" Nosy shouted, turning his head around, frowning…

And it's a good thing he did. "**SAIKYOU-SUPPAI!**" Jameson read from the book, running out into the open, finally finding his partner Nosy took a deep breath, and then propelled a huge, acidic snot blast of lime green that blazed towards Amnesio.

Amnesio and Tak dove to the side, with Tak frowning angrily as Amnesio got back up on his feet, standing on the ground. "Stupid monkey-pig combo! You'll pay for that!"

"**HEDORO!**" Jameson read out, and Nosy spat out a large bubble that attached itself to Amnesio and Tak, sticking them to the ground. He grinned and pointed at them. "What was that you were saying about making us pay?" He then frowned. "I'll make YOU pay for picking on my partner, you little pests!" He snarled. "**SAIKYOU-SUPPAI!**

Nosy shot another snot blast at Amnesio, but Tak whipped out her own book, smirking. "**KONCHUU!**" She read out, and Amnesio's head shot forward, his eyes glowing as a circular portal appeared in the air, circling around and catching the blast, dissolving it into nothingness.

"Oh dear." Jameson gulped.

Tak snapped her fingers and welding tools shot out from her PAK, burning away the sticky stuff that held them down. "Now then…you were saying something about making ME pay?" Tak asked in a fake, sweet tone.

"Uh…" Jameson and Nosy were now visibly sweating. Luckily Jameson came up with an idea.

"**KEMURI!**"

THWOOSH!

Cast a smokescreen and RUN LIKE HELL! They took off down the street and into an alley far away, gasping and panting.

"Okay…"Jameson whispered. "I think…we lost them…"

"I don't think so…" Nosy mumbled nervously. "Amnesio got an upgrade for this contest, he can open portals…he'll track us down, we need to keep moving!"

SCWHA-WHOOOM!

"Ah, you ARE smarter than you look. That puts you up a notch in my book." Tak announced as she and Amnesio stepped out form a portal. "I've still got to kill you, but I do feel SOME respect for you. **GAICHUU!**"

Amnesio's body glowed, and suddenly a circular mouth opened on his face, and he let out a harsh buzzing whisper as dark mist shot out from his body, the smell of acid hanging in the air.

THWOOSH!

SHIZZZZ!

Jameson had pushed Nosy out of the line of fire, but now his pants had been eaten off by little, tiny insects, like gnats…and his legs were badly singed too.

"Jameson!" Nosy shouted in horror. "Come on, just give them the book, we can't beat them…"

"No…I'm NOT giving you up!" Jameson insisted. "I won't let them send you back or hurt you!" He shouted, picking Nosy up and rushing down the alley…

Unfortunately they didn't make it far. Amnesio and Tak appeared from the other side. Jameson quickly placed Nosy to the side and jumped up, fist aimed at Tak…

Who sidestepped and then slammed her arm into Jameson, knocking him back through the alley. He got back up and ran back at her, but now AMNESIO attacked, rushing through the air and punching Jameson square in the face, breaking his nose.

"NO!!!" Nosy shouted, eyes wide with horror as Jameson hit the ground, some teeth falling out. "YOU MONSTERS!"

"Nosy…aim…" Jameson gasped out, clutching the book and concentrating.

Nosy stepped in front of the two bugs again and Jameson yelled out the spell, getting back up. "**KEMURI!**"

WHOOOSH! Another smokescreen shot out from Nosy's mouth and Jameson grabbed him, bolting out of the alley and down the street. Leaping on a nearby bike that hadn't been tied up, Jameson was out of there.

"They keep running…" Tak said, frowning.

"They're not getting away though, are they?" Amnesio inquired, turning his head to the side to look at his partner as the smokescreen cleared away.

"Nope." Tak said, grinning evilly. "Unless they're as stupid as they look."

MEANWHILE…

RIIIING! RIIIING!

"Hello?"

"…hellooooo."

"Oh. OH my."

"You've heard my voice before?"

"In my nightmares…how did you…how did you get this number?!"

"Good start. Now listen up, I know perfectly well that my lackeys might screw things up. Which is why I need the help of some dedicated experiments to aid me in this."

"I could FEEL your spirit in my terrible dreams, why would I send my creations to help you?"

"Because you know what I'll do to you if you don't."

"You'll just end up killing them anyway!"

"True, but every being desires freedom, isn't that right? The right to live. For you and your creation's freedom, you will have to be a slave. Even if only for a little while longer, this means you'll survive longer than the other experiments. It's not just simply Jumba's trash that I'm cleaning up, you know."

"…"

"So do we have a deal? Your servitude in exchange for being spared over the others? If you do a good enough job, I might decide to let you live so I can keep somebody around to beat up every day. That's better than being painfully dissected."

"…fine. I'll get them ready."

…

…

…

…Nosy looked up at Jameson, who was nursing his bloodied nose and face. The two had finally stopped at the nearby park. "WHY?" He asked. "You can't keep getting hurt for my sake! You won't be able to take it!"

"I have to do this, Nosy." Jameson insisted solemnly. "You're…"

He lowered his head. "There's something I never told you. Never even gave you a hint about except just one time. Do you remember when we first met?"

"Yeah, I showed up at your hotel because it was big and fancy and looked pretty." Nosy said. "I liked the name too! "Birds of Paradise"…exotic." Nosy admitted, eyes clouding with memory.

"You asked me about my family, if they would mind me going off with you. I said that they wouldn't care, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember!" Nosy said, nodding.

"My son…I can't connect with him. I've tried, but he's always been too interested in sports and just "hangin' out". He's not responsible…he doesn't want to do the things that are needed to succeed. He wants to be a pro SURFER, for Pete's sake! But you were different. You took things seriously. You showed determination and drive. I began to think of you as…as a son." Jameson admitted quietly.

Nosy's mouth hung open in surprise. "…"

"I just left my own son with my wife and forgot about him to be with you. I love you so much, Nosy. I began to think of you as a second chance…a chance to have the son I wanted. But I suppose that's selfish…I have a real son to think about, and he's probably worried sick about me. But I still…" He began to cry. "I still can't let you get hurt. I care about you too much…"

SCHA-WHOOM! Amnesio and Tak appeared behind them.

"**GAICHUU!**" Tak read out, as Amnesio took another deep breath and launched his cloud of small bugs at the two.

Jameson smiled and tossed Nosy back…

Taking the attack full on.

**Jameson: I won't let you die, Nosy! I won't!**

**Nosy: Why are you standing up for me so much? Why am I so dear to you?**

**Jameson:…because…you…**

**Spud: Guys, something's wrong with Morph…he's gone BESERK!  
**

**Tak: How can HE have so much strength?**

**Spud: Find out on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	66. Cruelty of a Coward

**CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX**

**憶病者の虐待を！停止このモーフ！**

**Cruelty of a Coward! Stop this, Morph! **

**--------------------------------------------------**

…or at least, he WOULD have. But pulled HIM to the side in time.

"That's ENOUGH!" Morpholomew shouted, clenching his fist and growling. His black eyes glinting, he pointed at them with one appendage, forming a finger. "You're got to answer to ME, now! Me and Mega-Spud-Man!"

"That's right!" Spud shouted, slamming his fist against his chest, holding onto his book with his other hand. "I'm not going to let you walk all over our friends!"

"Oh so now they're your FRIENDS?" Tak inquired, placing two gloved claws against each other, smirking. "I had heard that at one point, they were hated foes to you and the rest of your buddies."

"From where I'M standing, YOU'RE the hated foes, attacking Jameson and Nosy even when it's clear you know they're not a match for you at all! You're a monster!" Morpholomew shouted angrily.

"Uuuuughhh…" Jameson groaned as Nosy stood by his side, shaking him. "So…tired…"

"Just rest easy. We've got it under control." Spud insisted as he held up his book.

"I'm tired of looking at this idiotic-looking monkey boy." Tak announced to Amnesio. "Amnesio, let's wipe them out! **KABUTOMUSHI!**"

Amnesio's eyes glowed as he called up a circular portal. "EXXXPAND!" He shouted, making it expand into a mace-like object with blue spikes. It raced towards Morpholomew and Spud, but Morpholomew had NEVER looked so brave and determined before…there was a burning fire in his eyes.

"**THE FIFTH SPELL…CAMBIARE IDEA!**" Spud read out from the book.

Morpholmew clasped his "hands" together and grinned. "This ain't no ninja centerfold, but it'll do…"

BA-POINK!

Red light shot out from his body, and just like that…the attack vanished. It was gone.

"…what…the…"

The next words were unsuitable for your ears. Tak gaped at the lack of space where Amnesio's attack had just been. "How…I mean…you're…a BLOB!"

"I "pimped my partner"!" Spud laughed. "Now check THIS out! **THE SIXTH SPELL…CAMBIO RADICALE!**"

"This is how you did it, RIGHT?" Morph asked, his eyes glowing as a circular portal was formed…

"Oh boy." Tak gasped as the circular portal Morpholomew created became a spiked mace. "He can copy our attacks?" She murmured in horror.

"EAT IT!" Morpholomew shouted, tossing the mace-ball at them.

"Tak, RUN!" Amnesio screamed, rushing forward and taking the brunt of the blow. His body was encompassed in the mighty energy mace, and then with a mighty explosion, dust was sent flying everywhere. When it cleared, he lay on the ground, groaning and moaning in pain.

"Owwwww…" He moaned out.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" Morpholomew laughed.

"**CAMBIO RADICALE!**"

Now Morpholomew's mouth formed a perfect "o" as a large cloud of tiny little black bugs shot out from it, aiming to dissolve Amnesio and Tak! The two screamed and Amnesio grabbed ahold of Tak, calling up a portal and rushing through it…

…

…

…

… "Okay…we made it." Tak gasped out as she lay against a large head statue. They'd escaped to Easter Island, and Amnesio was panting heavily. A sense of fear had been installed in them, and for once in her life, Tak was finding herself very afraid of humans. VERY afraid. And even MORE so of that "harmless-looking" red blob that had been the human's partner! He hadn't LOOKED strong, and yet…

"Hello!"

"AAA!" Tak turned her head along with her partner and they saw Morpholomew was standing there, a long blade of grass sticking out of his mouth. He was wearing two bandoliers across his body, a headband, and shades.

"Howdy doo!" He remarked happily. "Surprised to see me?"

"Y-y-you got…HOW?!" She gasped out.

"You left the portal open. Amnesio was too injured to notice. Not to smart, are ya?" Morpholomew laughed, flashing fanged teeth that he didn't have before as Spud stood to his side. Morph hopped atop one of the Easter Island's head statues and grinned more broadly. "In any case, this sweet and slick new look is part of my newest spell…the Seventh Spell, Carico di Rottura!"

"…hmm…" Tak stood up, as did Amnesio. "You look powerful. But even with your new tricks, you won't be able to beat THIS spell!" She shouted. "**KAMIKIRIMUSHI!**"

Amnesio flew into the air and his eyes and body glowed brightly as he crunched up into a ball. Swirling around rapidly, the little beetle's body shot out enormous balls of purple energy that soared through the air, and then he untucked himself. Amnesio would have grinned if possible, how could that annoying blob deal with THIS?

And if he COULD have grinned, that grin would have been wiped away by what occurred next. Morpholomew calmly folded his arms suddenly large tentacles that had fanged teeth at the end of them shot out from his body…it reminded Tak of that dark comic book she'd read. What had it been called? "The Darkness"…

By IRK, the grins on their faces as they devoured the energy balls like POPCORN! It was frightening…but was even more frightening was the dark glint in Morph's eyes.

"H-How did you DO that?!" Tak gasped.

"…SHUT UP." Morph snarled, snapping newly-formed fingers.

BA-BAM! One of the tentacles rammed full-on into her leg, and her eyes bugged out wide. She fell to the side, gasping in pain as she saw her leg was horribly scarred. "AAA…AAAA!!! Amnesio, do something! Uh…" She grabbed her book and looked through it. "**GAICHUU!**"

Amnesio tried to call up some bugs, but the moment they first began to appear…

CHOMP! One tentacle came down hard on them and they were swallowed. "Oh s—t." Amnesio announced. "We're boned!"

"This can't be happening, this can't be happening, this can't be happening!" Tak gasped out, scrambling away from Morpholomew as he smirked.

"Foolish girl." He remarked coldly.

"Please, stop, I'll give you my book, stop it, please…" She began to beg.

"Do you know WHY you're weak?" Morpholomew inquired, speaking softly and dangerously.

CHOMP! One tentacle came down on her arm and she screamed, trying to pull away, only managing to do so after it had chewed down so hard it had almost hit bone.

"You lack hatred…" Morpholomew went on. "The true hatred that has been festering in my heart…strewing and surging…every time I was picked on, every time I was insulted and teased and called a coward, called a weak failure…"

Spud gulped nervously as Morpholomew was speaking. He thought back to what had happened when he'd first tested the spells out with Lilo and Stitch. The doctor had explained everything…

…

…

…

…"The way the fifth spell works is simple. The light Morpholomew gives out transmits a message to the receiver's brain, making them think that their attack's failed. As such, their heart energy's stopped for a while, and the attack vanishes! The illusion leads to the real thing. And THEN we get to the sixth spell…the enemy is able to be tricked into thinking that their own attack's being used against them!"

"But IS it?"

"Not quite. You see, it's all in their head, but because the opponent believes they are seeing their own attack being sent at them, their brains are fooled into inflicting damage to their own bodies equal to the damage the real attack would cause! However, it can only be used on spells your little blob friend's already seen, and it can only be used against the experiment who uses that spell! Then we get to the seventh spell…"

"I don't like that look you've got. What exactly HAPPENED out there with those tentacles?"

"Morpholomew absorbs spells from other experiments with this attack. If it's from a good-hearted experiment like Stitch was, he can easily control them and hold back, but…if the experiment is EVIL, then Morph will have a much harder time controlling them! Eventually he'll gain so much power that he can control his foe's hearts and minds and make them believe anything he wants! Even if the foe realizes it's an illusion…they won't break free from it…"

…

…

…

…it was a truly horrifying spell.

Morpholomew continued to speak "Go ahead, try and run. Cling to life without any honor…"

"Oh no oh no oh no…" Tak mumbled as Morpholomew began to grow in size, his body becoming twisted and dark. She fumbled around, trying to find a spell in the book to use. "Uh…uh…"

"You know, this reminds me of something I said a little while ago. I called you a monster." Morph remarked in a nonchalant tone.

A horrid grin.

"But the thing is…**I'M A MONSTER TOO.**" He finished darkly.

And now he was. Towering over their heads, a circular red body with a single glowing bright black eye, a silver helmet atop his head, demonic in appearance. Two large, clawed gauntlets hung in the air to the sides of his body, and rippling faces appeared in the blobbish, circular body that towered above the two insect-like aliens, the faces screaming in hatred and fury. The tentacles had grown to become even BIGGER, and now had wings, separating from his body and flying around, snarling and laughing evilly.

Tak began to cry, the tears making burning marks down her cheeks as she covered on the ground, covering her head, sobbing as Amnesio held her tightly, sobbing as well.

"AND NOW I'M GOING TO KILL YOU TWO. I'LL MAKE YOU EAT YOUR OWN INNARDS, CRUSH YOUR HEART IN YOUR CHEST, MAKE YOUR LUNGS POP LIKE BALLOONS! YOU'RE MINE!" The monstrously-transformed Morpholomew announced.

The tentacles shot forward…

And Spud suddenly stepped in the way, arms stretched out. "Oh, NO you don't!" He shouted.

**SFX: Screeching to a halt**

The tentacles stopped moments before they struck him. Morpholomew gazed down. "…WHUH…WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, SPUD?" He inquired.

"Stopping you from making a big mistake." Spud spoke up.

Tak, however, took this as a chance to attack. Amnesio quickly and quietly opened a portal behind him and turned around as Tak whispered out an attack. "**KABUTOMU-**"

THA-WOOSH!

A tentacle crammed down on the portal, swallowing it up. Tak's eyes went wide. "He's fast." She mumbled.

SCHA-SLAM! Another tentacle knocked Amnesio into a head statue, and ANOTHER slammed into her body, then tossed her into the air, then slammed her back down into the ground as Morpholomew sniggered. "I'M MAKING A BIG MISTAKE? NO, I DON'T THINK SO."

CHA-CHOMPA-CHOMPA! One fanged tentacle began chowing down on Tak, making her bleed all over, and she screamed in pain as it finally tossed her down. Then it raised itself up and opened it's jaws, firing off a spiked mace, just like the one she had intended to use on HIM…

BA-BAAAAAM!

And Spud took the front of the blow. He was knocked to the ground, his clothes battered and tattered, blood oozing down…but then he stood back up, and panted slightly.

"WHY…WHY THE HELL DO YOU KEEP GETTING IN THE WAY?!" Morpholomew shouted. Now tears were dripping down from his single eye. "I'VE ALWAYS WANTED THIS POWER…THE POWER TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST THOSE THAT HURT ME AND THE ONES I CARED ABOUT!"

His body quivered as he clenched his mighty claws. "I HAD TO WATCH PAGE GET SENT BACK…HE SHOULD HAVE STAYED LONGER…HE WAS A GOOD PERSON…I WANTED TO HELP TRAINER, BUT I COULDN'T…I WANTED TO HELP RUEBEN AND CLYDE AND ALL THE OTHERS BUT NO MATTER WHAT I DID THE POWER DIDN'T SEEM TO BE ENOUGH, AND NOW IT **IS!** NOW…"

He hung his head. "NOW I CAN PROTECT YOU FROM EVERYONE WHO WOULD HURT YOU…"

Jameson and Nosy had followed the others and were listening intently to the whole thing, hiding behind an Easter Island head. They looked at each other nervously before Spud spoke up.

"I know what it's like to want to have the power to protect others." He admitted. "And I used to have that power too."

Everyone looked surprised as Spud recounted his tale. "The thing is, I'm not just a genius. Magic runs in my family. And when I figured it out, I started to use it for really selfish reasons. I did whatever I wanted to do because I could always use magic to wipe people's memories or steal their things without noticing or break into places that couldn't be broken into."

He smiled slightly. "But then I tried my hand at something new. I had gotten this "Karaoke Revolution" game, stolen from some rich kid. I tried it out at my house…people heard me singing outside my open window and eventually I noticed that a crowd had gathered. They LOVED my singing. I decided to try going legit for a while…"

He grinned more broadly. "And then I began to put my gifts to good use. I started focusing my genius. I used magical skill to produce and distribute my own CDs. I gained more and more fame and money and bought my own condo, moving out of the dinky apartment I'd had. I was a star. And I loved it. Loved the feeling that people cared about me…and I understood I didn't have to hurt others to feel good. I could make them feel nice and I'd feel nice as well."

"……" Morph didn't say anything at first. He just stared.

"The real Morpholomew doesn't like hurting other people. He doesn't like being cruel to them. And I'd sure like to go home and have popcorn with THAT little blob buddy."

Morpholomew's large body quivered…and then, with a POOF, he turned back to normal and all the tentacles were gone. He ran to Spud, crying, and jumped up. Spud caught him and his little buddy began crying into his chest, sobbing horribly.

"I'm sorry, I'm SORRY!" He sobbed. "I've been such an idiot!"

"Ah, you're MY idiot. I don't mind." Spud insisted.

Tak and Amnesio blinked slowly, looking at each other. Then they let out sighs of relief.

POOF!

They gasped as the landscape changed around them into a beautiful, flowering field. Little butterflies flapped around and birds twittered in the sky as Morpholomew walked over to them.

"My latest spell can practically turn illusions into reality. Cool, huh?" He asked.

Amnesio blinked as the butterflies flapped around him. Tak began to quiver…it was so beautiful, so…so peaceful. The way the flowers shifted in the wind, it was like they were on an ocean of flora…

How? HOW could this little one spare their life? They were ENEMIES, weren't they?

This couldn't BE! This sudden display of mercy was unacceptable. This was a contest! There could be only one! Yet that human…a HUMAN of all things…had stood up for them and convinced his own partner to spare their lives. Why did it make Tak feel this way, feel so reluctant to keep fighting?

"You…you can't act like this…" She mumbled. Then she looked up and saw Amnesio was playing with Morpholomew, swinging around in the field of flowers.

_**Sunshiiiine and a good-time-funderful-day! Ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba!  
When we're together it's a happy time, everything is fine, and we're having a laugh! **_

_**When we're together we are free to be…in ectasy…cuz we're having such a good time! **_

"…gaaaaawwww…" Tak gaped at the sight of Amnesio and Morpholomew frolicking around in the flowers.

"Awwww." Nosy said, smiling. "I feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

"…eh…look, you guys can't just treat us like we're your FRIENDS." Tak insisted. "I mean…it's just…how can you act so NICE?!"

"Fine, BE a party pooper!" Morpholomew said, putting his "hands" on his "hips".

POOF! They were now back in the alley. Tak blinked. "Wait…we never escaped to Easter Island at all? It was all in our head? Thanks to your spell?"

"Yep!" Morph said.

"Aw, I was really having fu-FUUUUUUUUUUCK!" Amnesio cried out, seeing Lillith standing there, book held up and glowing.

"**MALEVOLUS.**"

From far, far away, Leroy, his body being circled by strange light, raised up his paws into the sky. Burning black waves of energy shot up, one from each paw, and traveled across the sky and through the atmosphere…

Heading right towards our protagonists!

"RUN!" Spud cried out.

Everyone ran for their lives…but sadly, Jameson and Spud's books were caught in the blast of black flame that shot down.

"Nosy…" Jameson sobbed.

"Jameson, don't cry…" Nosy insisted, taking his hand. "You have a son at home that's missing his father. You're going to lose one, but you'll gain another. And now that you've been on all these grand adventures, I think you might be able to bond with him a little bit more." He smiled. "And you're one of the few people who was really, really nice to me…who never made fun of how I look."

He hugged his partner tightly, his body turning into purple/red sparks that were vanishing into the sky. "I can't thank you enough for that."

Spud sat there on his knees, looking Morpholomew over. "This is it?...I thought…I'd leave fighting. The way everyone else did…this feels embarrassing." Morph mumbled.

"Embarrassing?" Spud laughed softly. "You have uber-powers, dude…you can screw around with people's MINDS now. You're not a coward anymore…you're a friggin' BADASS."

Morpholomew smiled. "When I get back…back to the lab…y'know what I'm gonna tell 'em?"

He was crying now, his body shaking hard. "I'm gonna tell them all about a superhero human…one that had the strength and intelligence of TEN men…somebody who went on incredible adventures with his trusty sidekick! And I'm gonna make sure they…they all know the name Arthur P. Spudinski…Mega-Spud-Man!"

He lowered his head, eyes squeezed shut. "And-and-I'm gonna sing your theme song and act out your poses and play your songs when I get my hands on a guitar and and and I'M GONNA MISS YOU SO MUCH!"

"I'M GONNA MISS YOU TOO!" Spud finally sobbed, and the two embraced tearfully as Morpholomew's body began to dissolve away into red specks of light. "You're one of the best friends I've ever had…don't ever forget that…because I won't forget you…I WON'T…I'll write a SONG about you, I promise!"

Tak watched the two experiments slowly fade away as Lillith walked off. She looked down at her own book, blinking slowly…

And Amnesio sat on his butt, "hands" folded across his stubby legs as he looked down at the ground, eyes closed.

**Tak: Kaiser, no offense, but I have only ONE thing to say to you now…**

**Nick: Why do I get the feeling that things are gonna get a lot harder?**

**???: These are the ones I want you to eliminate. Fail…and die.**

**???: Don't worry…we'll deal with them.**

**Chopsuey: New players take the field on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	67. Where There's Life, There's Hope

**CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN**

**生活を通して一希望を見つける**

**Where there's Life, there is Hope**

**--------------------------------------------**

Nick and Chopsuey looked at the sobbing Spud as Lilo and Stitch stood to the side along with Crystallene and Yuuku. Dr. Rupert sighed and looked to the side as Spud finished up his story.

"And then…then he was gone. Both of them were gone." He managed to mumble out. "My little blob buddy's gone back to the lab…and if you guys don't win, that monster Kaiser will kill everyone…"

"…we're going to win." Nick insisted, clenching his fist. "I PROMISE we'll beat him. For Morpholomew as well."

"We're not going to let all the sacrifices Morpholomew made for us go in vain." Chops said. He bit his lip. "My…my greatest fan deserves nothing less than to have the one who sent him back get sent to HELL!"

"We're gonna have to work extra hard now that Morph's gone." Yuuku told Crystallene. "But we'll do it, right?"

"Yeah…" Crystallene mumbled. "We'll…do it…"

…

…

…

…Nick balanced on the top of a rock, the first in a series of shaky-looking rock pillars. Kim stood at a large column of stone at the end, waiting for him.

"Now remember to time your jumps quickly, but accurately! And above all, BALANCE. You need to learn how to shift your weight in the air, and this is the quickest method!"

"I'm gonna die." Nick thought out loud, doing what he should NEVER do…and looking down. "I'm gonna fall and I'm going to FREAKING DIE." He announced, body shaking with fear.

"Calm down, you're not gonna die! Just remember what I told you! Then, after this, I'll teach you how to jump good. Jump REALLY good." Kim insisted, waving a finger in the air.

…

…

…

… "Heeee-yup! Heeee-yup! Heeeee-yup!"

Chopsuey was doing muscle-blasting…pushing an ENORMOUS tree up into the air over and over like it was a set of weights. But then he noticed a familiar smell in the air…like strawberries. Strawberries and bananas…

There was only ONE person he knew who had that sort of scent. Two, really…Crystallene and Yuuku, and Yuuku put on a lot more than Crystallene did! He quickly tossed the enormous tree away and it rolled to the side. Getting up, he turned his head and saw Crystallene nervously approaching him.

"Crystallene, what's up?" He asked her. "You look…" He frowned. "Upset. What's the matter?"

"…" Crystallene nervously rubbed her arm and looked to the side.

"How come you're not training with Yuuku?" Chops inquired, tilting his head to the side and crossing his arms in confusion.

"There's no POINT." Crystallene mumbled softly, rubbing the side of her head. This made Chops's mouth gape open in surprise. "There's no HOPE for me!"

"…huh?" Chops blinked in surprise. "Why do you say that?"

Crystallene took a deep breath. "Look, back at the lab, I had lots of friends. I got a lot of attention because of my power to create things with crystal…"

Crystallene held down her paw to the ground and a crystal-like sliver of glass shot out from her paw, shooting across the ground and up to a rock face nearby. Soon a decorative picture made of gems was shown. In the first panel, she was happily cheering, surrounded by lots of people, with Jumba clapping proudly.

"I made Jumba rich off the crystals I made." She said quietly. "And I made some really, really good friends who cared about me not for what I could do, but for who I was as a person…and Page was one of them. But now…now…" She began to whimper. "Now that monster Kaiser's going to kill everyone and I won't even be able to say goodbye to them…"

Crystallene covered her face. "I don't wanna die…I wanna see all the others…dying in this competition, that was an idea that never struck my brain, and now I'm so scared…"

"Don't be scared." Chops insisted, placing one paw on her shoulder. "DON'T be. Don't you remember how many people we've met who were good? Who fought for the sake of others? Who were our friends, our cousins, our OHANA?"

Crystallene turned around as Chops went on. "Yeah. Kaiser's scary. He's powerful. He's dangerous. But he's one person. And we've got an entire lab filled with people who are rooting for us, who's spirits are with us even now. Our hearts are as one, and because of that, we're gonna beat him. I don't doubt it for a moment. Besides…"

He grinned. "If ANYBODY is going to beat 626…no, Stitch…it's going to be me. And I'll do it fairly, when he's at his strongest, and we'll do it in the way it was meant to be…epic…in a valley…a low wind blowing over our heads, making the grass blow gently. I can almost hear the spells being yelled out already…"

He smiled wistfully. Then he hugged Crystallene. "I am NOT going to let him kill you. You're a dear friend. You've got my word I'll do everything I can to make sure that you aren't killed."

Crystallene blinked, then hugged him back. "You are like, so sweet."

"So how long have you had a crush on Page?" Chops inquired, grinning.

Crystallene drew back. "Wh-WHAT?"

Chops tapped the side of his head. "I've kind of been developing another kind of training." He added. "MENTAL training. If I'm close enough to people, I can hear their thoughts."

"You gotta be kiddin' me." Crystallene added. _"He's got to be bluffing about hearing those thoughts, he probably just figured out I liked Page from the way I talked about him and hung around with-"_

"No, it's not that." Chops interrupted her train of thought. "I read your mind. But I would have figured it out anyhow."

Crystallene gaped as Chops smiled. Then she smiled too. "You know…I feel stronger now. Not so worried."

"Well then…race you to the top of that hill!" Chops laughed, pointing at a hill across the way.

The two took off as the sun glinted high in the sky overhead, and they laughed and laughed…

…

…

…

…Amnesio watched Kaiser sit in his bed, that strange light still covering his body. He was frowning to himself, thinking…thinking.

"Amnesio…"

Amnesio's eyes slowly opened as Kaiser opened a single black eye to look at him. "You're not thinking of…defying me…are you?" He inquired. "I have been tempted to show mercy towards you…to spare your life if you submit. And submit you have. You've been very helpful to me, you and your alien partner."

"…I guezzzz so." Amnesio admitted.

"Tell me again, how did you meet her?"

"…she wazzzz…she'd landed on the Earth to try and get revenge on somebbbbody who'd ruined her life. But when she met me she saw a chance to gain real notoriety. She got into the contest and fell more and more in love with the idea of winning the competition and mmmmaking me champion. She'd be able to lord it over Zim and all the others, and eventually, one day, conquer the whole planet, replace Earth's mmmoltern core with a chilled one that would hold snack and junk foodszzzz, and rule over Earth, presenting the snacks to her rulerszzzz, the Almighty Tallest. It was a foolproof plan except for the fact that we almost died against that bbbblob…Morph."

"Morph? Ah, the red one." Kaiser smirked. "Yes, you told me about his power, remember? Tell me…did you enjoy fighting against him?"

"Yeah, a little." Amnesio admitted.

"_But I enjoyed playing with him more. I don't like it. I'd rather be having fun with Tak and playing than beating other people up, and sometimes we got to do that…"_

"If you DO try to defy me…you know what I'm going to do to you, don't you?" Kaiser remarked in a matter-of-fact fashion.

"…yeah, I know. I won't ever forget." Amnesio said, walking out of the room and heading out of the house.

…

…

…

… "WHAAAAAAT?!?"

Tak spat out the large cherry cola she'd been sipping. "Amnesio, are you sick in the head?! You want to stage a SNEAK ATTACK on Kaiser? On our benefactor?!?"

"Yezzzz." Amnesio buzzed out, nodding.

Tak smacked him across the face and he held his cheek as it stung. Tak growled angrily at him, grabbing ahold of her partner and getting in his face. "We can't defy him! It's only because of him that we're still alive!"

"BBBut if we keep doing thizzz, we won't be in first place, Tak." Amnesio insisted.

"I KNOW THAT!" Tak yelled, and Amnesio saw she was beginning to cry, her eyes tearing up. "Don't you understand? Don't you GET IT?!"

She smacked him over and over with her clawed goves, the tears burning down her cheeks as she wept. "WE CAN'T FIGHT HIM! WE CAN'T! WE CAN'T! IF…IF…"

She finally stopped, and Amnesio looked deeply into her dark purple eyes, seeing her weeping so openly, her voice breaking. "If we try, he'll kill you. He'll KILL you, Amnesio…I know he will. He'll kill you, he'll kill you…"

She sank to her knees and covered her eyes. "Kaaaauuuuuuuuhhhhh…he'll…he'll…"

…

…

…

…Nick and Chopsuey groaned as they finally collapsed to the grassy ground.

"I'd rather spend an hour eating shards of broken glass than have to keep doing sets with Kim…" Nick gasped out.

"I think I'd rather shove an icepick under a toenail or two then have to keep doing those exercises."

Then they heard it. An all-too-familiar "SHA-WHOOOMA" sound that they recognized as a portal opening…the same kind of portals that Amnesio made! Quickly getting up, they saw Amnesio's head, chest and appendages emerge from the portal. His eyes turned to look at them…

And he fell out of the portal, purple/blue blood oozing out.

When I said that his head, chest, and appendages came out of the portal, I meant that was it. Only his top half was there. His bottom half…was gone. Cut off completely. You could see inside his body.

"…it…it hurtzzzz zzzzoo bbbbad…" Amnesio gasped out.

"Amnesio!" Chops cried out.

"Dear God, what happened to you?" Nick gasped, rushing to his side and lifting the little beetle up as his wings buzzed uselessly, one of them ripped off.

Tak emerged from the portal, using mechanical spider limbs to step out. She had some blood oozing out from the side of her mouth and bruises on her body, but otherwise she was fine.

"We barely got away from Kaiser's new body in time." She announced softly. She held up her book and tossed it to the ground. "Please burn it. If Amnesio gets to the lab right away, he'll be able to get fixed up."

Nick nodded. "Of-of course…" He said, holding up his own book. "**IADEO-IEDO!**" he shouted as Chopsuey swung both fists at the book.

BA-BOOM!

It turned into little small pieces that began to burn up, and Amnesio's body began to vanish into dark blue points of light. Tak sighed and her mechanical spider legs retracted as she turned her head to the side, the setting sun casting it's light on her green face.

"Amnesio…I told you about Mimi. She was destroyed a while ago. And she was my Special Something…" Tak muttered softly. "Then YOU became my Special Something. I just thought you deserved to know that before…before you headed back."

"…it was…a bbblast." Amnesio laughed softly before he vanished completely. Tak sighed and turned around, walking off, waving goodbye to Chops and Nick.

"You and your friends should beat Kaiser…see you around someday. I've got a long journey back."

"…goodbye, Tak." Nick said quietly, waving goodbye at the spirited Irken female. "…_be safe_." He whispered softly.

…

…

…

… it was hard to see much else in the darkness besides the helmet and the glowing whip that hung by his side. It resembled a motorcycle helmet, with tubes running from the back to a backpack-like device on his backside. The windshield had a visor-like appearance, and was very heavily tinted…almost as black as the darkness that surrounded him as he addressed his creations.

"So that…is the deal." He was finishing. "If we don't do this…if I don't let him use you for his plan, he'll kill you."

"But he'll kill us anyhow." A laid-back voice spoke up. The owner unplugged the headphones from his ears and frowned. "I dunno if we should work for somebody like THAT."

"What if we just tried to kill Kaiser?" A slamming of fist into palm. A thick voice. Frightening because you know he could bench press TEN of you with one hand alone. "I'll snap him like a TWIG."

"He's half made-already." The doctor insisted angrily. "Don't be stupid! I don't want him to kill you all. This is the only way. If we do a good job…he might spare you." He added softly.

Silence. Silence for a long time. Then…

"It is ironic…"

"That we…"

"Are the ones saying this…"

"But where there is life…"

"There is also hope…"

"We must obey Kaiser."

"…I'll do it. I won't like it, but I'll friggin' do it."

"I'll kick their asses!"

"THAT'S the spirit! THAT'S my girl." The doctor smiled. "Now luckily for all of you I've got these."

He tosses something out to each of them and they all catch it in their paws/hands. "Strap it to your wrists. It'll act as your own personal spell book. You won't need human partners, so that's one problem out of the way. Unfortunately the power of Heart will have to come directly from YOU. That's all for now. Dismissed!"

A crack of the whip in the air and they all head out, talking to each other.

"We could have real FUN with them."

"I need a favor…"

"What kind?"

"Some girl was sitting on a bench. She had a bunch of candy corn with her and she munched and munched and munched. "Gimme". Said I. "F—k you", she cried. Well…" A grin. "Her husband's on the GFS Royal, taking command. I'll find my way upon the ship and DO AND DO AND DO!"

"I'll loan you a zombie."

"You're very kind."

"In fact, I'll loan you two."

"So considerate!"

"How hard could it be to slay these experiments? They have to have HUMANS helping them."

But one remained behind, looking down at the watch. "…doctor?" He called out.

The doctor came back, and though he couldn't truly see through the visor, the speaker could tell he had an eyebrow raised. "What is it, Tom?"

"…I don't want this. I want a real book. And I'd like YOU to be my partner." He asked. "I wouldn't trust anybody else to do it."

"…well…" The doctor frowned thoughtfully in his helmet. "…why not?" He laughed happily. "Okay, I'll get to work on making a book that will work the way Jumba's books work. But I'll need you to come with me so I can synchronize your heart with the book."

"Okay!" Tom said happily. "This is gonna be a blast, I can tell."

"One more thing…you have a preference for book color?"

"…HMM…"

MEANWHILE…

Lilo and Stitch, Nick and Chopsuey, Ahinahina and White were all eating lunch together with Kim and Dr. Rupert. White had a big smirk on his face as the others chowed down on their sandwiches…and that got Ahinahina frowning.

"You're up to something. You KNOW something." He said. "I know that smile! It's the smile of the cat who swallowed the canary!"

"So what if I DO know something?" White remarked, finding his fingernails fascinating.

"Is it about Leroy?" Lilo asked.

"No. Something more juicy. But I'm not telling you anything. Wanna know WHY?" He asked, smirking.

"I have a feeling you are going to tell us whether we want you to or not." Dr. Rupert mumbled.

"You ARE smart. The thing's this…if Glinda the Good Witch of the North had told Dorothy how to get back home in the beginning of the film, there wouldn't BE a "Wizard of Oz" now would there have?" White asked calmly. "The journey is more important than the destination more often than not. You'll thank me one day."

Nick nervously looked over at Lilo, then sipped his root beer. Seeing this, White grabbed the opportunity by it's balls and sat up more. "So Nick, lemme tell you something you should take to heart. F—k a LOTTA women. A LOT of women. And do it sooner rather than later."

"You're disgusting." Nick said, sticking his tongue out at White.

"And you're a prude." White remarked, grinning toothily. "Y'know I've read your journal. Oh, such BEAUTIFUL thoughts. Such WONDERFUL poetry!"

"Sh-shut it!" Nick mumbled nervously, turning red.

White stood up on the table and began to sing, one hand placed on his chest, the other held up.

"Look at me, I'm Nicky G! LOUSY with virginity! Won't go to bed 'till I'm legally wed…I can't! I'm Nicky GGGGG!"

"WHITE…" Ahinahina growled. But Stitch thought it was funny and began to snicker.

"Watch it!" White added, pointing down at Stitch and grinning. "I'm Nicholas Grey! I was now brought up that way!" He put his hands on his hips and swirled around on the table, strutting his stuff. "Won't come across, but her heart will be lost…to the love of Nichols Greee-eee-eeeeey!"

"White…stop it…please…" Nick asked quietly, brow furrowing.

White rolled his eyes and held up finger or finger. "He won't drink or swear! And sex? He don't care! He gets ill from one cigarette!" He grinned broadly as Stitch began to fully laugh. "And if you think that's the worst of it all, you ain't seen NOTHIN' yet!"

"White…STOP…" Nick growled.

"As for you, Ms. Robinson…I'm sure YOU'D like a little fun! You've got your crust, I'm no object of lust…"

"I'm just plain Nicky G!" Stitch sang along with White.

White then placed his arm over his head, fake-groaning. "LILO! LILO! Let me be!" He then started dancing around on the table. "Keep your lips so FAR from me!"

Nick stood up. His hands were balled into fists. He already had one hand on foot on the top of the table. Dr. Rupert sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"Just keep your cool, now you're starting to DROOOL-"

SCHUDDA-WHACK!

White went sailing through the air and into a nearby briar bush. Nick dusted himself off, then stepped off the table and walked off, hands thrust deep into his pockets. Lilo looked over at Stitch, who nervously grinned.

"FIX IT. NOW." She demanded.

WOOSH! He was outta there!

…

…

…

… "Nick, c'mon!"

"I am NOT "coming on"!" Nick snapped back as he walked off angrily. "I've always had people make fun of me! I should be USED to it by now, but…having you and White hit me where it most hurts…my feelings of…of…"

He turned on Stitch and folded his arms across his chest. "I don't know if me and Lilo ever COULD work out, but I can't help the feelings I have. I honestly love her! She's everything I want, she's everything I need…" He sighed and brushed his hair back, then placed his hands behind his head. "She's everything inside of me that I wish I could be…"

"Look, it was just a joke. Really." Stitch insisted. "Is there any way I can make it up to you? How about I beat White up? Or you kick me?"

"…I just wanna be alone right now, Stitch. I need to cool off."

"Okay. I understand." Stitch said, nodding. With that, he walked off and Nick took a long, deep sigh before he turned around to look up at the sky.

Tomorrow would be better, he hoped.

Hope sprang eternal, as the saying went.

**Nick: So Heartwing's off to the Holy Land?**

**Heartwing: Weeee!**

**Dude: This is gonna be fun. AND educational!**

**???: Too bad I've got to ice you on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy".**


	68. The Iceman Cometh!

**CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT**

**アイスマン来る****!**

**The Iceman Cometh!**

**------------------------------------- **

"Doo-doo-da-doo-doo…doo-doo-da-doo…da-doo…da-doo…"

It had been three days since that incident with White. But Dude didn't know that. Neither did Heartwing.

You see, the nice little dragon had been hard at work visiting the holy locations asked of him. He had already been to Vatican City (Lots of stares at him) and Mecca (Not so many stares at him, LOTS at Dude). Now it came time for him to visit Jerusalem, the holy city of the Jewish tradition.

As it were, he'd been developing something other than newfound power. He'd been developing his SPEECH. Now he didn't talk in sound effects if he concentrated hard enough.

"Ooooooh." He remarked as he looked over the city of Jerusalem, eyes wide. He was very impressed.

"Yeah, it's a pretty sight, isn't it?" Dude asked.

They stood upon a hill, overlooking the Dormition Abbey. It was a building made of sunbaked stone, with towering ramparts. It rose high over Mount Zion, just outside of the Zion gate. It many ways it looked like a fortress…it was topped by a domed bell tower, had a conical dome on the second half of it's main attachment, and many corner towers.

Their destination was just OUTSIDE the abbey though, behind the Franciscan house on Sion. It was believed to be where Christ has established the ritual of the Eucharist.

As they headed inside, they found themselves within an enormous hall, supported by three pillars which divided the room into three naves. All of it had been apparently built by the Crusaders in the early XIV century, on top of a much older structure. This old structure, according to the what a tour guide told them, was a church-synagogue of the early Christian community of Jerusalem.

What they wanted was on the ground floor…the cenopath of King David, a most venerated place for the Jewish people. It was an ENORMOUSLY grand sarcophagus, draped in blue cloth with the Star of David upon it. It had twenty two crowns of silver atop it, all made in solid silver: this was to represent the sovereigns…the ones who existed AFTER David…who had succeeded each other to the throne of Israel.

Heartwing bowed his head respectively at the sarcophagus. He could feel it…a gathered presence of Israeli kings were located here.

"Important." He announced. "VERY important place."

Dude rubbed his eyes. He could vaguely see white shapes around the place. He didn't get it though. He wasn't high. Not for this pilgrimage he'd been asked to go on. This was something VERY important. "What's goin' on? Little dude, you seein' what I'm seein'?"

"Feeling." Heartwing admitted. He closed his eyes. "Ahhhhh…" He smiled a few moments later, reopening them. "Yes…see." He nodded. "See them all. Hear them too."

Dude blinked. He could now hear whispers. They seemed to want him to go to the Wailing Wall…

…

…

…

…Dude and Heartwing were making their way to the Wailing Wall, with the little dragon walking by Dude's side, the crests upon his head bobbing up and down as he smiled happily. Unfortunately that mood was soon gone when a rock hit him on the head.

"AAA!" He held his head. "PIRIPIRIPIRI!"

"Foul beast! Evil dragon! Serpent of legend!"

An angry-looking man with a long white beard, a yarmulke on his head and an angry glare in his eyes was throwing rocks at him. Another man who had a cross tattoo on his neck noticed Heartwing as well and he frowned, raising up his sleeves and walking over to Dude.

"Get that ABOMBINATION out of this holy place." He demanded of the hippie, grabbing his collar.

"Hey, what's your problem with my little buddy? He ain't harmin' nobody." Dude protested.

Heartwing looked left and right and all around, nervously whining.

"Sin against Allah! You…PIMPLE on the face of the world!" A darkly-tanned man shouted, shaking his fist at the little green dragon, his white turban momentarily blinding Heartwing. He grabbed a rock and tossed it, and it bonked off Heartwing's head. "Begone from this sacred place! Dragonkind is not welcome here!"

"Evil being!"

"Foul beast!"

"GO!"

"GO!"

Dude saw Heartwing was beginning to cry. He quickly picked up his little friend and they ran away from the small crowd of people that were gathering to throw rocks at them, rushing as fast as they could. The little dragon sobbed into Dude's chest, not understanding.

Why? Why did they pick on him? He'd done nothing wrong. He wasn't an evil being. Why did they hate him just because of his species? Because of how he looked? Didn't they see the hypocrisy in it?

…

…

…

…well, they'd made it.

The Wailing Wall was…deserted.

This went beyond the realm of "strange" and into the realm of "downright creepy". Dude and Heartwing understood WHY though…

There were ghosts all over. Hundreds upon hundreds of spirits that were floating around. Even if ordinary people couldn't SEE them, they could probably FEEL them…and they'd get a message loud and clear to GET LOST. The Wailing Wall was reserved for a party of TWO today.

The hippie and his partner approached the these ghosts and an purple-haired human being stood before them. He wore no shirt, but had a Jewish star hanging from his chest, as well as having baggy pants. He was kind of skinny, but very handsome…and his deep purple eyes showed he was vibrant and filled with life.

Correction…party of THREE.

"Mikhail Yenta Rosenberg, or Myr is my name." He said, smiling at them.

"Woah, man…you're that musician that…I got four of your CD's!" Dude gaped out.

Heartwing tilted his head to the side, smiling. He LIKED this person. There was a smell around his body that made him think of sodas.

"I'm also attuned to the forces of the Other Side." Myr said. "I was told by the spirits to meet you here and to instruct you on how you can attune to the forces of the Holy. And I guess it's a good thing that the best way to learn is by doing, because somebody's come following you to get rid of you."

Heartwing blinked. "Huh?"

…

…

…

… "This is a really nice place." The experiment said, sighing sadly. "Too bad it's probably going to get wrecked in the fight."

"Hey!"

He turned to the side to see an angry-looking, squat man was approaching him. He looked like a member of security. "This is a restricted area, you have to leave."

"Aw, but I'm here to perform some tricks!" The experiment insisted.

"Really? Like what?" The man asked, looking the experiment over and getting RIGHT in his face. "Can you shoot lasers from your eyes? Belly dance? Twist your head?"

"No, but I can twist _**your**_ head." The experiment remarked, grabbing the man's head in his hands.

KA-CRACK!

"That's called "dark humor" ladies and germs." The experiment laughed as he walked off.

He had an ice-blue body, with a dark blue chest and stomach. His body design was similar to Stitch's, including the black eyes, the shape of the ears…but he carried a claymore on his back that had "Aerosmith Rules" carved into it. He tapped it against the ground, then swung it up onto his back and walked through the streets, heading towards the Wailing Wall, where his watch's radar could sense the energies of the one known as "Heartwing". Yes, the watches did a lot…helped them manifest their abilities, tracked down opponents, acted as translators...but they couldn't, ironically, tell time.

"Let's see…twenty clicks north…"

The experiment kept walking, looking down at his watch. Soon it was fifteen. Then ten. Then five. Then…

"You got MAIL!"

"Ooh, what is it?"

CLICKA-CLICK!

"Let's see…no, I don't want to increase the size of my-how do these people GET my email!? I don't-"

THWONK!

He ran right into Heartwing and the two fell to the ground, rubbing their sore bodies. Heartwing got back up and saw an experiment was rubbing his head, so he helped the sore being up. "Alright?" He asked.

"Oh, thanks a lot-oh." The experiment blinked in surprise as Heartwing stood by Dude's side. "YOU'RE the target I've been looking for." He frowned. "I didn't think you'd be so…cute." He admitted sheepishly. "I mean, I could just SQUEEZE you!"

"Wait, TARGET?" Dude asked, looking confused.

The experiment nodded and held his claymore up. "Yes. I'm Ice! Dr. Greenleaf has sent me, along with others, to end your life."

"Don't bother with the sword, dude, that thing'll just-hey…Aerosmith?"

Ice put the sword up and stroked it. "Yep! I LOVE the band. What do YOU think about it?"

"I've got, like, eight LPs."

"Sweeeeet." Ice's eyes widened and he nodded. "For that, I respect ya. Now uh…maybe we should take this fight somewhere less…holy."

…

…

…

… "Think we're far away enough from the city?" Ice asked as they stood atop two hills, with Heartwing in a battle position.

"Reckon so." Dude said, nodding. "Ready to get your groove on, little buddy?"

"How come that purple-haired human hung back?" Ice inquired.

"I don't know." Dude said, shrugging. "Let's get started, dude! **TOTUS INSONS DRACO!**"

SCHA-WHOOOM!

A beam of light erupted from the heavens. The solid white beam struck Heartwing and he stood up…his body shone brilliantly as he got slightly larger and more human-like…his wings becoming more angelic and delicate, his eyes gleaming brightly and his heart insignia turned gold, growing in size. His claws, talons and spikes became white and he got into a fighting stance.

"Okay, Ice. You can have the first move, alright?" He called out, his body surrounded with a white aura.

"Very well…**GLACIES!**" Ice said, nodding his very-light blue head.

Armor covered his body as he shot up into the air on pillars…and Heartwing saw they were made completely of ice!

"Yeah, I know my name and my power's pretty unoriginal, but as the saying goes, "Keep it Simple, Stupid"!" Ice laughed out.

Meanwhile, a large crowd of people had gathered at the front of Jerusalem to watch this fight, with Myr at the front, cheering.

"Yeah! YEAH! Go Heartwing!"

"That foolish dragon!"

Myr stopped, turning around. WHAT?

"It's brought an evil being here! Their kind does nothing but bring misery upon the innocent!"

"…HMPH." Myr frowned. Oy gevalt, these meshuggahs were just…ARGH!

Ice clenched his fist and then thrust one forward, and the icy towers opened up to reveal icicles that shot out like missiles!...missi-cles!

"Dodge these." He requested.

"Hup-ha-HUP!" Heartwing leapt on top of one icicle after another, flipping around through the air. One of them nicked his leg and he grit his teeth, hovering in the air as two whizzed towards him…

SCHUMP!

But he caught them and crushed them, now unsheathing his claws. "I will NOT yield to you." He announced.

"_**Oooh, PINK it was love at first siiiight!**_ **GLACIEI!**" Ice sang out as he held his paws up, summoning forth a swirling gust of icy wind that shot through the air, swirling around farther and farther…

Those at the gate felt the chill and huddled together, shivering. Myr, for some reason, wasn't bothered, even though he wore no shirt. "C'MON, dragon! GO FOR IT!" He shouted. "Kick his _tahat_!"

_**Oh, Johnny wishes he was famous, spends his time alone in the basement…**_

_**With the Lennon Band and Cobain and…a guitar and a stereo!**_

Heartwing spread out his wings and closed his eyes. Humming, his aura shot forth, and the brilliant light kept the ice at bay, finally destroying the icy wind and making Ice smile, clapping his hands.

_**While he wishes he could escape this, but it all seems so contagious  
Not to be yourself and faceless…in a song that has no soul!  
**_

"Dude, not bad at all! You're really good." He nervously shrugged. "BUT…I've been kinda holdin' back. Let's see how you do against THIS! **STIRIA!**"

_**And I… remember feeling low  
I…remember losing hope!  
I remember all the feelings,  
And the day they stopped!**_

He held his paws up and a light blue aura shot up from them into the sky, summoning clouds that swirled together as an icy sheathe spread from his feet. A few moments later they shot back open and huge icicles shot down from the sky!

_**We are, ,**_

_**We are aaaall innocent, we are aaaall innocent  
We are, we aaaaaare!**_

Heartwing soared left and right on his wings, swerving around…but one clipped him hard on the shoulder and he spiraled to the ground, gasping in pain as he held his side.

"LITTLE DUDE!" Dude cried out, rushing forward…

BAM!

An icicle struck the ground in front of him and Dude was sent flying back through the air.

_**We are are,**_

_**We are aaaall innocent, we are aaaall innocent  
We are, we aaaaaare!**_

Ice sighed and shook his head as Dude groaned, trying to get back up. "Stay outta this, okay?" He asked. "I wanna look good for the ladies who are watchin' and beating up a human who can't fight back isn't very nice."

_**Oh, Tina's losing faith in what she knows, hates her music, hates all of her clothes!  
Thinks of surgery and a new nose, every calorie is a war!**_

What he failed to notice was that the icy sheathe below his feet was spreading across the desert and dissipating into the air. Everything was getting colder and colder…the sky was becoming overcast…

And much to everyone's surprise, it began to SNOW. The large crowd at the front of Jerusalem had grown larger still and now they were horrified at what was happening.

"What's going on?" One asked.

"Is it the dragon?"

"No, it's the _manyak_ of an ice experiment!" Myr insisted. "Look! He can call forth arctic winds. His power's going to freeze everything over if he keeps fighting!"

_**While she wishes she was a dancer and that she'd never heard of cancer, **_

_**She wishes God would give her, some answers…and make her feel beautiful!**_

Heartwing got back up and took another fighting position as Ice leapt down, now covered in knight-like armor, a large sword made of chilly blue ice forming in his hand. He rushed forward and sliced around at the dragon as Heartwing sidestepped and leapt back and right and left over and over, trying desperately to dodge…

But Ice's moves were FAST. Very fast. He kept getting quick clips to the side that made him grit his teeth. He wouldn't be able to keep dodging for long!

_**And I… remember feeling low  
I…remember losing hope!  
I remember all the feelings,  
And the day they stopped!**_

"Forgive me if I seem outta line…but you should stop making this hard for me." Ice said, finally slashing Heartwing across the chest, making the dragon go flying black as silver blood oozed out from his body. "I don't wanna hafta keep torturing you with all these strikes. Just hold still and I'll make this quick."

"I…CAN'T." Heartwing said, getting back up. "I can't lose here. I need to defeat Kaiser!"

_**We are are,**_

_**We are aaaall innocent, we are aaaall innocent  
We are, we aaaaaare!**_

"I know you wanna defeat him, but you can't." Ice said sadly, shaking his head. "I wish I could go against him too, but…we can't. If we do, he'll kill us. If we don't kill you like he asked us to, he'll kill us. If we DO do what he asks us to, he'll probably just kill us after everyone else."

"Then why are you working for him?" Heartwing asked.

"Because we don't want to die. We wanna live, dude." Ice insisted, swirling his icicle blade around. "For our freedom, we must stay slaves. And perhaps he'll be a nice guy in the end and let us go."

_**We are are,**_

_**We are aaaall innocent, we are aaaall innocent  
We are, we aaaaaare!**_

"There are things that are more important than the desire to live!" Heartwing shouted, roaring out loud. "What you're doing is WRONG!"

"I don't want to DIE!" Ice shouted back, thrusting the saber at Heartwing…

CLANG!

The dragon caught it in his clawed hands and he held it away from his chest as best he could, gritting his teeth as Ice forced it closer and closer. "Stop…screwin'…around!" Ice demanded.

_**One day…  
You'll have to let it go!**_

"Dude, HELP!" Heartwing cried out as icy winds tore at his body, snow falling heavy.

Dude held up the book. "C'mon, you dumb thing, my buddy needs…oh…it's no use, I'm giving it my all already!" He insisted. "Heartwing, we need another plan, dude!"

_**Oh  
One day…  
You'll stand up on your own…you'll stand up on your own!**_

"HEY!"

Ice's ears perked up. He turned around and saw that the large crowd that had been at the front gate of Jerusalem was now circling them.

_**Yeeeaaaah…**_

"The DRAGON'S not the one the people of the city need to fear, but YOU…who's making this whole place into another Antarctica!" Myr shouted.

"We owe you an apology, dragon." The man who'd first thrown rocks at Heartwing apologized. "You're…you're not so bad after all."

"There's warm light coming from you...the light of the good."

"The same light that our ancestors saw as being warm and kind."

"We understand the importance of light." Myr said, nodding his head. "But you have another tie…a tie to holy power. And for that to be unlocked, you need to have the support of those who understand the light that comes from the Creator."

"The light of acceptance…the light that is LOVE!"

_**Remember losing hope…  
Remember feeling low…  
Remember all the feelings and the day they stopped!**_

Everyone in the crowd raised their hands up, and Myr clasped his hands together, took a deep breath, then snapped his eyes open. Instantly a shockwave erupted from his body that spread to Heartwing, and the dragon saw auras of light surrounding every single individual in the crowd. That beautiful light spread into his body and he felt a warmth and comfort that he'd felt only rarely before…

_**We are,  
We are aaaall innocent, we are aaaall innocent  
We are, we aaaaaare!**_

_**We are are,**_

_**We are aaaall innocent, we are aaaall innocent  
We are, we aaaaaare!**_

He smiled happily, and then broke the sword of Ice in his hand, making the experiment gasp in surprise. "How the?"

Heartwing rose up into the air and his fist became emblazoned as it shone like a star. He rushed forward towards Ice, who surrounded his own fist in a light blue aura and the two collided hard…

_**We are aaaall innocent  
We are, we aaaaaare!**_

_**We are aaaall innocent, we are aaaall innocent  
We are, we aaaaaare!**_

BA-BOOOOOOM!

_**We are…we are aaaaalll innoceeeent…**_

…

…

…

… "Ugggghhhh…"

Ice held his head as Heartwing looked down at him. He blinked in surprise. "What happened?"

Heartwing handed him the wrecked remains of his watch and Ice sighed as Dude stood by his partner, the desert around them returned to normal. "The doctor's gonna whip me for this." He complained. "BUT on the other hand…that was a decent fight. You're alright, Heartwing." He gave the dragon a thumbs up and smiled.

"You too." Heartwing said, beaming. He then hugged Ice, making the light blue experiment blink.

"Huh? What's this for?"

"Cousin!" Heartwing explained, nuzzling the experiment happily.

"Look, uh, since Heartwing's all powered up with holy light 'n stuff, can we ask you a favor?" Dude asked Ice.

"Uh…sure. What?" Ice asked.

"We'd kinda like somebody to help us get back to the states, but we don't got no more money anymore. You got a ride we could use?"

Ice grinned. "As a matter of fact…I DO. Where you headed?"

"Hawaii."

"So you ARE from Hawaii? I've always wanted to go there. Okay, I'll let you borrow my ride, BUT…" Ice brushed some hair back. "You gotta lemme see those LPs of yours when we get there."

**Ahinahina: I wish I had my powers back…**

**Nick: Aw c'mon, you'll get them back somehow.**

**???: So these are the targets, doctor? **

**Ahinahina: Uh oh…a ninja?! Powers, if you were ever gonna come back to me, NOW would be a good time!**

**???: We'll see how strong you truly can be on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	69. Air Man Will Not Die!

**CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE**

**エアーマンが倒せない**

**Air Man Will Not Die!**

**--------------------------------- **

"Dum-dee-daaaa!"

Dr. Greenleaf was holding up his communicator to his mouth as he blinked behind his helmet. "Gaiden, can you hear me?"

"Yes." Gaiden said softly.

"Listen, I just received a communication from my computer's sensors. Ice's watch was destroyed. This means he can't use his powers on a strong enough level…he's been knocked out of commission."

"Then I shall pick up where he left off."

"Indeed. I've given you the power over Wind. I want you to seek out the ones named Crystallene and Yuuku. You landed in California, didn't you? It shouldn't be TOO hard to go by sea."

"Why by sea?"

"Too expensive by boat." Dr. Greenleaf sniggered.

"…doctor…that noise in the background…are you taking a shower?"

"Yes, I'm in the shower right now." The doctor told him, a black bar over his privates.

"…I'd…better get going." Gaiden murmured, ending the communication. His father could be WEIRD sometimes. REALLY weird.

"Daaaaad!" Tom called out. "I keep almost-blowing myself up every time I use that fancy new spell you gave me!"

"Is it the blast-from-midsection one or the one with the shiny blue dots?"

"The one with the shiny blue dots."

"Coming, coming! Lemme get a towel on!"

Dr. Leafgreen reached for a towel that read "Party Naked" on the front and wrapped it around his body, whistling as he left the shower.

…

…

…

…by carefully sneaking a ride on a freight liner, Gaiden was able to make his way to the island of Kauai where Crystallene and Yuuku were. It was also fairly easy to find their home thanks to the wonders of the internet…and a little hacking.

Gaiden had a black body that was similar in design to Stitch's, but he had thick bangs…VERY thick. One set of bangs covered his beautiful, shining blue eyes like a fringe, and he always carried two katanas on his back, housed in black sheathes. The words "Muramasa" and "Masamune" were written on their respective sheathes…he'd created them himself AND named them after the famous blades.

Gaiden wasn't a bad sort. A ninja, true, and a loner, but he was also very kind and considerate. He looked up to Andrew as a father figure and did NOT want to let him down.

Luckily for him it had been EASY to blend in among the freight workers. He'd hidden himself within a box that had been specially designed for a wild animal after removing said animal and releasing it into the wild. Don't panic folks, it's only a monkey. And if any of the sailors got interested in what he was hiding in all he had to do was scratch at the box from the inside, yelp and cry a bunch of times and growl angrily. That got them to back off.

Now he was sneaking around the condo, inside of a blue room that had a large, plush-looking bed with a lamp on the table beside it. He could hear humming…it was definitely a female's voice.

But where was it coming from?...ah, there!

Pinpointing on the sound, Gaiden slunk down a hallway towards a room and carefully opened the door…

WARNING! Gratuitous tit shot in three…two…one…

**SFX: Siren**

…

…

…

…Gaiden staggered out of the bathroom, two Kleenex pieces stuck inside his nostrils as he made his way down the hallway, trying to take deep breaths. He had to think of a plan. How as he going to surprise the experiment and her partner and eliminate them?

Then he got an idea. The bed. EVENTUALLY they'd have to go back to sleep. He quickly raced back through the hallway and went straight back to the bed. He'd arraign it so it looked like there were lumps in the down comforter…lumps that they'd have to straighten out. But when they'd take the comforter off…BAM! He'd come out and hold the girl by the throat, demanding that the experiment get the book from wherever they'd hidden it or he'd kill her.

He reached for the comforter and ripped it off-

…

…

…

… Three Stitch-like experiments with black bodies and blood red eyes were standing outside of Crystallene and Yuuku's apartment, grinning to themselves. "Soon the girl will be OURS." The first said.

"But I want the first go." The second added, growling.

"Wait…do you hear someone approaching?" The third asked, titling his head to the side.

Out of the front door game Gaiden, who was moving in a herky-jerky fashion as he made his way past them, mumbling over and over. **"Not…dragonballs…not...dragonballs…not…dragonballs…"**

The first black experiment of the trio, the one who was the tallest and who had a pentagram necklace and a book under his arm, sighed as he held his head with one paw, groaning at the foolishness of Gaiden. His name? Famine.

"Where do ya think HE'S going now?" The second one asked, who's name was War. He had heavily pierced ears and a long, jagged sword strapped to his back.

"I imagine…" The third one rubbed his chin, almost taking off ANOTHER patch of skin and fur from his body. "That he's going to have to find ANOTHER experimental duo. Perhaps Lilo and Stitch?" His name was Apocalypse. "He'll calm down in five or six minutes. Then he'll get his act together and seek one of the experiments out. Nobody can beat him when he's focused!" Apocalypse remarked. "After all, he's been engineered by the doctor to be the perfect ninja."

"Indeed. I'd like to know who could match HIS strength." War sniggered. "So I could kill them myself!"

…

…

…

… "Oh, ninety-nine Bubblegum Icees on the wall…ninety-nine Bubblegum Icees! If one of those Icees should happen to fall…it'd be a darn shame!"

Ahinahina, the grey-furred, brown-haired, tie-dye-pants-wearing experiment of the aura was doing some push-ups with one arm, pushing himself up into the air over and over.

"Woah. I'll have some of whatever YOU'RE smoking." Dude announced. It had been a day since he and Heartwing had fought Ice and now the three of them were all hanging around the beach along with Ahinahina, who'd bought them all different kinds of drinks. In fact, Ice had been introduced to the miracle of foods that was the Icee. Let's face it, the best reason alien beings could come to Earth besides being able to see the sights was to taste the food!

Ice took another sip of his Cherry icee as he watched Ahinahina flip up into the air and then land on his taloned feet. "So tell me again, what exactly ARE you?"

"I told you, I'm an experiment." Ahinahina insisted. "Created more than 100 years ago! I was stuck in pod for 100 years until just recently." He told Ice, spreading out his arms.

"So what's your power?"

"Er…uh…" He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I've been trying to GET back my power, but I don't know how. I used to, but-"

"Hey guys!"

Nick and Chopsuey approached them, smelling awful. Ahinahina plugged his nose and waved his clawed hand in the air. "PU! You stink to high heaven of sweat! Has Kim really been working you?"

"Yep, she's been having us do all sorts of exercises." Nick said, nodding his head. "BUT I've learned some cool fighting techniques."

He took up a fighting position and then did a rapid spinning kick before leaping up into the air and grabbing ahold of an imaginary foe and throwing them into the ground, then SLAMMING onto said imaginary foe's neck. "HIYAH! Like that!"

"It's called "Kakujenbo"." Chops told them all, nodding his head. "It translates into "Through this fist style, one gains long life and happiness". It's based on high-impact throws and the destruction of limbs and takedown attacks."

"So then you might be a challenge."

They all stiffened up and whirled around to see the black experiment that was now standing on the stretch of street that was placed before the beach. "I am Gaiden." He announced. "I see you've met my "brother", Ice."

"Gaiden, hold on." Ice spoke up. "What we're going is wrong. We should-"

"You're betraying the doctor? AGAIN?!" Gaiden asked, eyes narrowing. "I should have guessed.

**VENTOS!**"

SCHA-WOOOSH! Ice was blown clear through the sky and into the ocean! Gasping, Nick ran for the ocean and dove into it, swimming after Ice, who floundered around in the water, unable to swim. Chops turned on Gaiden who drew his blades, which now had a swirling green aura surrounding them.

"My element is Wind, thanks to my father's gift. With this I will defeat you." The ninja-like experiment announced.

"Hey, what was THAT for? Whatever happened to brotherly love?" Nick inquired.

"You're gonna defeat us? We'll see about that!" Chops said, shaking his fist at him. "KIYAH!"

Chops leapt through the air, thrusting his fist forward, but Gaiden blocked it with one sword. Growling, Chopsuey unleashed a barrage of quick punches and kicks, but Gaiden swirled his swords around and around, continuing to block every single one of them.

Soon Nick brought Ice back in from the ocean and Dude and Heartwing attended to him, getting him to spit out a fish, a shell, and then a large amount of water while Nick reached into his backpack by his beach chair to get out the green book…

"**VENTOS!**"

Only to see that Chops had been launched into the ocean as well with a blast of wind that had been formed from slamming the Muramasa and Masamune together! Nick gasped and tried to run forth to go after Chopsuey, but Gaiden leapt through the air and held his blades forward. "No. Don't try to be a hero. Don't make this messy."

"I will NOT let you kill my partner or hurt my friends you…you…stupid wannabe!!!" Nick shouted, rushing forward, grabbing ahold of Gaiden and quickly slamming him into the ground via a grab of one leg. He then raised his leg up to slam it into the black experiment's face, but a quick slash of a sword made him fall back, grabbing his bloodied leg.

"AAA!" Nick screamed as he felt the warmth ooze out and saw Gaiden stand up, holding one blade up, twirling it around…

SHA-SLAM!

He slammed the flat of it into Nick and Nick went flying across the beach, groaning as he stirred on the sand, trying to get back up.

"Darn you, body! You can't tire…tire out now…get UP!" He gasped. But he was so tired…he'd been training for HOURS…he couldn't take any more…

"Just curl up and go to sleep, little human." Gaiden's voice called out gently. "Let death cloak your pain and give you release."

He began walking towards Nick, holding up his blades as they glowed green…but then a sharp whistle got his attention and he turned around.

"No." Ahinahina growled. "NO you freakin' DON'T." He snarled, fur bristling as Dude rushed into the water to drag Chops out. "I won't let you hurt him! He's my partner's grandson and I won't let him die!"

"Your attire…" Gaiden blinked. "Are you…uh…you know…" He tilted his head to the side.

"NOPE." Ahinahina growled.

"I admire loyalty to family greatly." Gaiden said, bowing his head. "But you won't be able to beat me." He held his blades forward. "**VENTOS!**"

The swirling wind blast rushed through the air, but Ahinahina thrust his clawed hands forward, snarling as his fur bristled even more. The attack shoved him back a few feet, but then he stepped back towards Gaiden, clenching his fist.

"Let's DO this." He growled.

**BGM: Air Man Ga Taosenai (Air Man Will Not Die)**

A chilling wind blew around them, sending sand flying through the air as Gaiden spun his dual blades around and rushed forward, grinning confidentially.

_**Ki ga tsuitara…onaji men bakari purei, soshite itsumo onaji basho de shinuuuu!  
Akiramezu ni…kieru ashiba ni chousen surukedo, su-gu ni shita ni ochiru yoooo!**_

Gaiden swung his sword rapidly as Ahinahina dodged left and right, but a good slice across his chest made the grey experiment grab at it, howling in pain. Gaiden then leapt through the air and with a quick kick sent Ahinahina flying across the sand. Ahinahina quickly jumped back up and clenched both fists, rushing forward at the ninja once more.

_**Aitemu nigou ga areba raku ni mukou no kishi made tsuku-kedo  
Nankai yattemo nankai yattemo, Ea-man ga taosenai yo!**_

Ahinahina rapidly swung his fists left and right as Gaiden sidestepped over and over, dodging the attacks and grinning. Then at last he leapt up through the air and kicked Ahinahina into the air.

_**Ano tatsumaki nankai yattemo yokerenai!  
Ushiro ni mawatte uchitsuzuketemo izure wa kaze ni tobasareru!**_

Leaping far up into the sky, he then slammed his leg down into Ahinahina's face and made the grey experiment SLAM back down into the beach, sending sand flying up everywhere. Gaiden landed expertly as Ahinahina crawled out from the crater he was in, frowning.

_**Taimu renda mo tameshite mitakedo tatsumaki aite ja imi ga nai!  
Dakara tsugi wa zettai katsu tame ni boku wa E-kan dake wa saigo made totte okuuuuuu!**_

"You're still ALIVE after that? You should be dead. You're obviously more well-built than I thought you were!"

"This doesn't come from being BUILT strong! It comes from practice!" Ahinahina growled. "It took me fight after fight of using nothing but fists and feet before I finally got more than just one spell! And even THEN I still didn't forget what a good old-fashioned punchdown could do!"

_**Ki ga tsuitara raifu mou sukoshi shika naiiii…  
soshite itsumo soko de E-kan tsukauuu…  
Akiramezu ni Ea-man made tadoritsuku keredo, sugu ni zanki nakunaruuuuuu…**_

"**VENTUSI!**" Gaiden roared out, thrusting his paws up into the air as the blades spun around over his head. He then swung his arms left and right, sending concentrated blasts of wind right at Ahinahina, who ducked and rolled to dodge them, but unfortunately one of them struck him and he was sent flying back. He quickly re-righted himself in midair and got back into a fighting stance, bouncing left and right on his taloned feet.

Ahinahina growled as he held his head. Darn it, he thought. DARN IT! Why couldn't he do this? Why was his power gone? What was he missing?

"You will die now." Gaiden announced. "You've proven to be a tougher opponent than most, so I'll grant you the honor of a swift end."

_**Ri-fu shi-rudo ga areba raku ni Ea-man o taoseru kedo!  
Nankai yattemo, nankai yattemo, uddo-man ga taosenai yo!**_

He held his paws up to face Ahinahina and then clenched them. "**VENTULUS!**" He shouted as his blades turned into green spheres of energy that surrounded his body, swirling around and around until at least he was cloaked in a black and green aura of wind and shadow, hovering off the ground.

"Alright…maybe…I can't win. But…" Ahinahina stood back up and pointed at Gaiden. "I have to try! No matter how hard things get, I have to keep on keeping on! I'm not just fighting for one person after all…I have an entire OHANA to think about…"

_**Ochiru konoha wa nankai yattemo yokerenai!  
Ushiro ni sagatte kyori o tottemo izure wa kyori o tsumerareru! **_

_Ohana…OHANA!_

_**Taimu renda mo tameshite mitakedo aitsu no janpu wa kugurenai!  
Dakara tsugi wa zettai katsu tame ni boku wa E-kan dake wa saigo made totte okuuuuuu!**_

That was it! He remembered where his original power had come from. He'd focused his aura powers by thinking about his desire to protect Ross, Nick's grandfather. And it had grown stronger over time when he'd thought about all the good cousins whom he wanted to accept into his ohana all those years ago.

For so long he'd been distracted. He had figured that because his book was gone, he couldn't use his power. But now he realized that the power had ALWAYS come from within.

And he knew how to bring it back out! He spread his arms out and focused as his body began to shine brilliantly. Now, to everyone's surprise, shining colors swirled around his body as he rose up into the air, his thick brown locks hovering up into the sky as he crossed his arms.

_**Aitemu nigou ga areba raku ni mukou no kishi made tsuku-kedo  
Nankai yattemo nankai yattemo, Ea-man ga taosenai yo!**_

"Let's ROCK." He grinned, rushing forward at Gaiden, who rushed at him.

_**Ano tatsumaki nankai yattemo yokerenai!**_

Gaiden and Ahinahina's respective auras slammed into each other over and over, diving left and right, spiraling around before thrusting back together once more.

_**Ushiro ni mawatte uchitsuzuketemo izure wa kaze ni tobasareru!**_

Ahinahina and Gaiden then thrust their fists together and the two grit their teeth as their aura surged so harshly that the air was split with multicolored lightning. The clouds parted above them and the ocean waves began to churn as thick winds shot everywhere.

_**Taimu renda mo tameshite mitakedo tatsumaki aite ja imi ga nai!**_

Finally the two of them shot back and Ahinahina spread his arms wide, then spiraled around and around through the air, becoming a living rainbow that soared brightly across the sky, with sparkling lights trailing behind him. Gaiden spread his arms out and two large green swords made of wind energy formed, clasping together before him to make a big point. He rushed through the air towards the rainbow…

_**Dakara tsugi wa zettai katsu tame ni boku wa E-kan dake wa saigo made totte okuuuuuu!**_

THA-WHOOOOOM!

The entire sky EXPLODED with bright white light and everyone was forced to shield their eyes as a dome-like explosion engulfed the two combatants. Then, at last…it faded away to reveal the two were hovering in the air…

And then Gaiden's body quivered as he fell down into the sea with a SPA-LUNK. Ahinahina let out a relaxed sigh, then soared down through the air on his rainbow aura, plunging into the water only to come right back out a moment later, carrying the ninja on his shoulder.

…

…

…

… "Why don't you just finish me off?" Gaiden asked as the experiment looked him over.

"Because we don't HATE our enemies. If Kaiser's taught us anything so far it's that hating people…hating HIM…just makes him strong. So we're going to forgive you." The grey experiment insisted.

"…that's awfully noble of you. But you should spend less time on me and more time worrying about the others." Gaiden said sadly. "I do vaguely remember seeing my fellow brothers-in-arms at the one called Crystallene's house. Specifically War, Famine and Apocalypse."

"Uh…well, they can't be THAT bad, can they?" Heartwing gulped.

"Sure, they've got those names because they're upstanding citizens." Chops snapped. "We have to MOVE. NOW!"

"Don't be TOO worried." The grey experiment spoke up.

"Why not, Ahinahina?"

"Please…call me Grey." Grey laughed. "And like I was saying, don't be TOO worried. White was on his way over to their house…"

"…that just makes us MORE worried."

…

…

…

… well, our heroes arrived at Crystallene and Yuuku's house, but upon going inside, they found the duo AND White were watching "Shaun of the Dead" without any incident. Nick informed them of the danger that was lurking, but White just smiled and said that if anything bad happened, he'd be there to look after the two girls.

Which only made everybody even MORE worried.

**Grey: Woah, who's this?**

**Ice: Our sister, you see...**

**???: Hi! You're Grey, aren't you?**

**Nick: I think that Grey's falling in love with the enemy...**

**Chopsuey: It could blow up in his face on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	70. He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

**CHAPTER SEVENTY**

**彼は私を愛して！彼は私を愛していません****...**

**He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not…**

**------------------------------------------------ **

She was definitely feminine. Her smooth body and eyes gave it away. Her body was a full shade of blue, her chest and stomach no different in color. She had lovely purple eyes that were a sweet violet shade and had black hair that fell down around her head, with one part of her hair covering her head, this part had a red streak on it. She nervously held her paws behind her as the threesome calmly walked around her over and over.

"You understand…"

"What you have to do…"

"Ewa Lani?"

"…yes, I understand." She said, nodding her head and bowing deeply. "I'll do it."

"This will wear them down emotionally…"

"It will pit them against each other…"

"And make them easy for you to defeat."

"I don't doubt the theory, the theory's sound, but I just…well, it seems…cheap." She admitted nervously.

A paw on her shoulder made her shiver madly as the leader whispered in her ear. "Are you doubting Dr. Andrew's plan? Do you WANT to be destroyed by Kaiser?"

"N-No." She gulped, shaking her head madly.

"GOOD girl." The paw released her and she hugged herself madly as the threesome vanished from sight. "We'll be watching you…"

"I won't…won't fail…I…can't. I CAN'T." She spoke to herself, clenching her fists.

…

…

…

… Chops collapsed to the ground alongside Stitch. The two of them had been doing strength training along with their book keepers and they were wiped. Luckily Gaiden and Ice were only too happy to help them unwind. Ice walked over to Chops and Stitch and placed his paws against their heads, focusing his power and concentrating.

Soon a soothing coolness bathed over them and they found themselves relaxed. "Thanks, Ice." Chops said, sitting back up along with Stitch. "That's refreshing!"

"I may only be able to do contact icing spells with my watch broken, just like Gaiden's wind powers are now very short range with HIS watch broken, but I'm glad they can help you somehow." Ice laughed.

"The ghost hath left. He was about to speak before the cock crew!" Lilo quoted from "Hamlet" as she walked alongside Nick.

"Break we our watch up!" Nick said. He and Lilo then pretended to chop up "watches" that were on their wrists, which made them both giggle with laughter.

Chops and Stitch smiled at this. It was cute, really.

"Hey, guys!"

They turned their heads to see Grey approaching as a female experiment hung to the side of his arm. She was a blue experiment with violet eyes and she looked quite lovely and sweet.

"Uh…I want you to meet Ewa Lani. It means "Heavenly Woman"." Grey explained. "She was looking for us so I thought I'd bring her here."

"I can certainly see why she's got that name!" White added, coming up from behind, almost out of nowhere. This encouraged a whack over the head by Yuuku and Crystallene, who were coming up from behind HIM. "OW! SHEESH, girl!"

"Ewa, how's it going?" Ice asked happily. "She and I are like brother and sister, in fact-"

Before he could go on, Ela Hani walked over to him and hugged him. "Man, I MISSED you, Icy!" She laughed happily. "So how about introducing me to everyone?"

"Well, this is Lilo and Stitch." Ice said, gesturing at the two. "The green experiment is Chopsuey, and his book keeper is the boy with the mood necklace, Nick. The two girls are Yuuku Hanako and her experimental partner, Crystallene. The experiment with the tie-dye pants is-"

"Grey, he told me."

"Oh. Okay! Lastly, the white-haired human is White."

"Not very original names…" Ewa Lani said, shrugging.

"Your name means "Heavenly Woman". Tell me how THAT'S original." Crystallene snapped back.

"Mrowr?" White asked.

SMACK!

"OW! Watch the hair!" White groaned, rubbing his sore head.

"Okay, I like you now." Ewa Lani laughed, pointing at Crystallene. "You're spunky!"

"So wait, what are you doing here anyhow?" Lilo inquired, raising an eyebrow as she put one hand on her hip.

"Dr. Andrew kinda wanted me to fight you all, but I'm not that interested in it, like I told Grey." Ewa Lani admitted. "What Kaiser's asking of our father isn't fair. Now…" She turned to Ice. "How about you and the others show off some of your fighting skills? I wanna see a real experimental battle in action!"

"Well, I'm tuckered out…" Stitch said.

"…I'm not!" Chops lied, suddenly bounding up. "I'll fight you, Crystallene!"

"Huh? Well, okay…" She said, shrugging.

Nick looked confused as Chops headed off with Crystallene and Yuuku, then sighed. "I'll be back in five, ten minutes." He said, shaking his head. "This isn't gonna take long…"

Stitch sniggered as he and Lilo followed after, eager to watch. White turned to Grey as Ice led Ewa Lani away. "So what do you think of her? She's a very nice-looking girl. She seems sweet too. I could smell SOMETHING burning when you looked her way. A hunkahunka burnin' love!"

"Oh, please, she's CLEARLY into Ice." Grey said, looking to the side and shaking his head. Then his eyes popped open and he held his clawed hands over his mouth. "Oh WHAT?! That's not what I shoulda said…"

White smiled in a knowing fashion, eyes narrowing slightly. "You LIKE her." He said quietly, gently.

"Oh, just clam-hey…I just noticed something." Grey said, raising an eyebrow as he looked White over. "You almost NEVER close your eyes. The closest you usually get is to have your eyelids half open in that creepy way…"

"I know. Unnerving, isn't it?" White laughed. "C'mon, let's go watch the match!"

As the two walked away, a threesome watched silently, unseen by the others.

"Foolish idiots."

"Herself included."

"If only she knew!"

"Our plan is working."

"Like a charm!"

"It won't be long at all…"

…

…

…

…Ewa Lani smiled nervously as she waved goodbye to the girls and turned to Grey. "So you have a place where I can sleep?" She asked.

"Yes, White has a big house on the island with lots of spare rooms. I sleep there myself, and your brothers Gaiden and Ice are shacked up there too." Grey told her as he walked her down the sidewalk, going through town and past a textile factory. "It's about five blocks-"

Then they turned their heads to the right to see that a large group of people were angrily shouting at some brown-skinned textile workers, yelling "Go home beaners" and "Get lost, wetbacks". Ewa Lani frowned. "UGH. Racists! I hate these guys!" She complained.

"Ooh, listen to the immigrant workers!" Grey said, holding a clawed hand to one ear as the immigrants began chanting "Se Si Puede" over and over. "That means "Yes We Can"…we should help them."

"Agreed." Ewa Lani said, approaching the shouting people with picket signs who were yelling at the workers. "What do you all think you're doing?" She asked, looking mortified at their actions.

"These workers are taking the jobs that hardworkin' Americans deserve!" One man shouted. "Most of these guys don't even SPEAK English!"

"How bad was your job interview if you lost it to somebody who can barely speak English and only does THIS?" She asked, then held up a thumbs up and smiled in a large grin. This made the crowd get mad at HER.

"Don't get all holy on us, girlie!" One shouted.

"Hey, leave her alone, you bullies." Grey growled. "I'll eat you alive!"

"I'd like to see you TRY. Now get lost so we can deal with these wetbacks!" An angry-looking man with a baseball cap snapped.

"Ooh, that is IT. I am SICK of your attitudes!" Ewa Lani hissed, clenching her fists. Grey turned to see a bright flare shoot out from her body, so fast and so quick…yet the humans didn't seem to notice it.

"How many MORE jobs are people like THEM going to ta-gawrsh, you sure are purdy…" One man giggled out, turning red.

"Ooh, she just made me…" One added, sniggering as he wilted in place.

"OH." Grey held one hand over his mouth as all the protesting, angry men collapsed on the ground. "That was AURA you used…no WONDER the humans didn't see it…"

"Yes, only a fellow Kokoro like you and I can." Ewa Lani laughed. "Thanks to my power they'll all wake up UTTERLY ashamed of themselves." She held her hand over HER mouth and giggled. "Todos ellos han explotado dentro de los pantalones!"

"OOH." Grey's eyes went wide. "**GROSS**."

SOON…

"Well, this is your room." White said, letting Ewa Lani into a bright blue room that had a fairly large, plush-looking bed with golden sheets. "Enjoy your stay at Casa Casanova, miss." He laughed gently. "I even left a choccy on your pillow."

Ewa Lani smiled nervously and waved goodnight as White closed the door. She then hopped onto the bed and crawled under the covers. "This shouldn't be too hard to get them to all fall for me." She thought to herself. "Thought I think that Grey person's already in love with me." She added quietly. "It's too bad, I like them all…though I think I like him the most…"

She suddenly blinked in surprise at how easily that had come out of her mouth. Wh-WHAT? HOW the…

Could it really be?

THE NEXT WEEK…

As it turns out, it was true.

She did spend a lot of time with the gang. She smiled and waved, she blew kisses at the boys. She made them blush nervously and laugh in funny fashions.

But above all, she spent a LOT of time with Grey. He showed her around the Hawaiian islands the whole week, and they went to parks to lie amongst grass and flowers, hung out at cafes, sipping drinks, eating ice cream together…

And above all, swimming.

KA-SPLOOOOSH!

Grey jumped into the water, wearing only swimtrunks as he approached Ewa Lani in the center of the large pool. A huge waterfall gushed down it's contents into the lake, sending spray flying left and right as the two laughed happily.

"So…so THEN what happens?" She asked.

"Well then…then he figured out what the smell WAS and he just started yelling and then he PUKED all over himself! Oh, it's hilarious!" Grey sniggered.

Ewa Lani lay back on her back in the water, doing small kicks as she circled around Grey. "Boy, it's so peaceful and lovely here." She admitted. "I could stay here forever."

"Would you?" Grey asked quickly.

She blinked, then sat back up as Grey swam over and took her paws in his clawed hands. "Would you really stay?" He asked. "I mean, we'd love to add another member to our family, the more _ohana_ the better!" He added, nervously blushing.

"I-I think I would…" She admitted softly. "I might be able to fulfill my dream as a fashion designer."

"A fashion designer? That sounds tough." Grey admitted.

"Aw, whaddya YOU know about fashion?" She laughed, playfully tickling him in the water. "You wear TIE-DYE-PANTS!" She giggled.

The two began to tickle each other, laughing madly…and then they noticed they were very close. VERY close.

"…you know…this is probably the most romantic moment of my life." Grey admitted softly.

"CANNONBAAAAALLLLL!!!"

KER-SPLOOOOOOOM!

Water sprayed all over them as Dude splashed into the pool with them, laughing stupidly.

"…and now it's over." Grey moaned, shaking his head.

Ewa Lani just kissed him on the lips. THAT made him change his mind. Soon the two were fiercely lip-locking, which made Dude smile.

"Awww…ain't it beautiful?"

Watching from afar, three figures growled. "She's FALLING for him."

"And he for her."

"This changes things."

"WE'LL have to change things."

"We'll have to make her fight."

"Break him. Heart included."

…

…

…

…Ewa Lani and Grey sat together on a park bench, with Grey playing on a guitar, a lovesick smile on both their faces.

"I've…got…so many questions on my mind…"

"I've…got…so many answers to find…"

"Can…you…be the girl I've imagined?"

"Am…I…magical enough for this to happen?"

"Because I like you…"

"I like you!"

"I like you!"

"I like YOOOOUUU…" They both sang out. "And like can lead to like-like…and like-like can lead to loooove…"

"Sure as the stars above I'd really like to kiss you-"

"Screw you-"

"OH." They both said at the same time. "Uh…"

Ewa Lani started up again. "Can…I…be the girl you're looking for?"

"Can…I…be your man forevermore?"

"I'll…try…real hard not to lose her…"

"And I'll…try…to be less of a loser…"

"Because I like you…"

"I like you!"

"I like you!"

"I like YOOOOUUU…""Because I like you…"

"I like you!"

"I like you!"

"I like YOOOOUUU…and like can lead to like-like…and like-like can lead to looooove! Sure as the stars above I'd really like to-"

"Screw you-"

"Kiss you-"

"Kiss you-"

"Screw you-"

"Screw yooouuuu!" They both finally sang.

The two then began laughing at this, then finally settled down. "Heh…this is fun!" Ewa Lani laughed. "I have so much FUN with you, y'know?"

"Yeah, on days like this I almost forget totally about Kaiser." Grey admitted.

"How sweet. How touching." A dark voice spoke up. They both turned their heads to see a threesome of dark experiments hovering in the air. "But now we end this tangent!" The threesome shouted. "Ewa Lani…"

"No, don't!" She sobbed as they rushed forward. Grey jumped up to try and defend her, but he was quickly shoved aside as two of them grabbed her arms while another held her head.

"It's time to release a few of your…inhibitions…" The apparent leader sneered, doing something so UNSPEAKABLE that if I tried to show you in a cartoon, it would appear as something that was black-barred.

Ewa Lani's body shivered madly and she stiffened up as the threesome snuck away, laughing over what they've done. Then she turned on Grey, who's eyes went wide as her body became violet and her EYES became blue, black wings ripping from her back as she rose up into the air, claws appearing on her paws.

"I'm glad you decided to stay with me. Now I'll love you…to DEATH…" She cackled.

…

…

…

…Gaiden stiffened as he sat up at the café that White, Chopsuey and Nick were at. He turned to them, eyes glinting. "It's happened."

"What's happened?" Nick asked, looking confused.

"There's a connection we all share with our brothers and sisters. I can feel something's triggered Ewa Lani's switch…there's a built-in synapse in her brain that when activated will change her body and force her to lash out at anybody whom she's gotten too emotionally and physically close too…the doctor put it in as a fail-safe, just in case she got sweet on the people she was supposed to eliminate."

"You mean she was gonna-" Chops growled.

"Originally, yes…but obviously she fell in love. I mean head-over-heels love with that grey-furred experiment, Grey." Gaiden informed them. "That kept her from doing anything. She started getting fond of all of you too. I wouldn't have triggered the switch, and neither would Ice…" He frowned. "Could it be…"

"Look, if she's turned into something freaky, then can't you tell us WHERE she is?" Nick asked. "…actually, you don't have to. I know where she is." He stood up. "Grey and her were gonna spend the day in the park…and LOOK."

He pointed across town as dark storm clouds circled around and around over the park.

…

…

…

…Grey hit the ground, rolling on his side and coughing madly as his bruised and cut up body ached. Ewa Lani floated through the air, laughing as she folded her arms across her chest. "Ha-ha-ha! Is that all you've got lover?"

"This isn't…you…talking…" Grey murmured softly. "It's not…"

THWACK! A kick to the face sent him reeling back. "IDIOT! You have no idea who I truly am!"

"No, but luckily we know somebody who does!" Nick's voice shouted out.

Ewa Lani turned her head to see Chops, Nick, Gaiden and White approaching her. "Well, well. What have we here?"

"The only way to get you back to normal is to knock you unconscious…and that's what we're going to do." Nick said, holding up his book. "**IADEO IEDO!**" He yelled out.

Chopsuey's fists glowed a brilliant shine and he swung them as two fist-shaped energy blasts soared through the air towards Ewa Lani, who raised up one clawed paw.

"**GOKAI!**" She announced.

SSSSSS! A sizzling pink shield circled through the air and reflected the attack back at them! She grinned as Chops's eyes widened…

"**ADVERSOR!**" Nick shouted.

Chopsuey raised his paws and now HE summoned his OWN brilliant emerald shield which reflected the attack right back at her!

"**AIYOKU!**" She announced, holding up a single claw as a beam of pink light shot forth, bursting through the attack and dissipating it. Then as Chops's shield lowered, she flew up into the air and held her palms above her head.

"**KOUSHOKU!**" She roared out.

The dark sky split open as pink energy blasts soared down, striking White, Chops and Nick over and over…but not doing any damage. Ela Hani smirked as big hearts appeared in their eyes…then they turned on each other.

"The girl is MINE, you albino freak!" Chops growled, clenching and unclenching his claws as he advanced on White.

"I'm taking my time with you…EXTRA SLOW…and then I'm gonna give the time to HER…EXTRA SLOW!" White snarled.

"Gotta get this through your head…"

SMACK! Nick punched them both. "THAT GIRL IS MIIIINE!"

BAM! Now ALL of them were rolling around on the ground, punching and kicking madly as Ewa Lani laughed and laughed, placing one clawed hand on her chest.

"Oh, boys, PLEASE don't fight over me!" She sniggered as they punched and kicked and snarled.

"Don't worry, my love!" Nick called out, waving his hand in the air. "I'll defeat him soon!"

"Oh REALLY?!" Chops growled, pulling on Nick's hair. "She's MY love!"

"That girl's gonna be MINE, idiots!" White snapped, tugging Chops's ears back.

"Ooh, this is better than pay-per-view!" Ewa Lani laughed.

SCWHOMP!

She suddenly found Grey was tightly clinging to her, his body glowing brightly, blazing more brilliantly with each second. "I'm so sorry, Ewa Lani…but…"

WEEE-WEEE-WEEE-WEEE…

"This is the only way…please…remember how much I love you…"

SHUDDA-BOOOOOOOM!

An explosion of light and colors shot across the sky, shooting up into the stars. Ewa Lani screamed in pain as Grey went falling back, groaning horribly, his body burnt. The threesome who had been fighting blinked and then gasped, standing up and dusting themselves off as shining sparkles of multicolored light slipped off their bodies. Grey had just given them a chance…

They didn't waste it.

White thrust one hand forward and pointed and the female was frozen as his fist as his book glowed brightly.

Chopsuey held up his palms again and missile launchers and cannons appeared on his body, with small beams of light began to converge at a single point in front of his maw, forming a large, glowing white orb…

KA-CHIK! CHUDDA-CHUDDA-CHUDDA! The cannons unloaded their cartridges!

KAWHOOSH! The missile launchers raced through the air!

THA-SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The brilliant ball of light soared through the air, all right towards Ewa Lani who couldn't even scream as it struck her body hard…

A white, domed explosion surrounded her body for a few minutes as they shielded their eyes…

…

…

…

… "She's gonna be sick for a long time." Chopsuey said, looking at Grey who was sitting by Ewa Lani's bedside. "The attack did a LOT of damage to her. More than we thought it would."

"She's COMATOSE?" Ice asked, horrified as he shoved Nick back a few feet. He and the others were in the hallway outside of her room. "How COULD you!?!" He snarled.

"We didn't WANT to!" Nick said, closing his eyes. "I didn't think it would do that much damage!"

"Why didn't you TELL us she was literally your sister?" Chops demanded.

"I TRIED to, she interrupted me!" Ice defended. "I never got a chance to tell you guys the truth, every time I tried to…it slipped my mind when she started acting…well…"

"They were in love." White said sadly. "To be honest I encouraged it, I practically THREW him at her. They were in stupid, first-sight, courtly head-over-heels Romeo and Juliet love. What was I gonna do? Keep them from it?" He shook his head. "I may be an asshole, but I'm not a **f—king **asshole." He insisted.

"Ewa Lani's gonna be alright." Gaiden insisted. "But I'm not sure about your friend Grey…"

"Trust me, he's a strong person." Nick said. "He'll recover somehow. We just need to give him time and a lot of support."

Grey held her hand, watching her chest go up and down as one by one they decided to leave him be so he could privately enjoy some time with her.

And for the rest of the night and into the next day, Grey had something in common with White…

His eyes never closed.

**Nick: They're here!**

**Crystallene: Those sickos that did that thing to Ewa Lani?**

**???: Now your lives are OURS to claim!**

**White: This...is MY fight. Your treatment of that girl...is something I'm NOT going to forgive!**

**Nick: See White's deadly strength unleashed on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	71. A Twisted Game of Cat and Mouse

**CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE**

**猫とネズミのツイストゲーム**

**A Twisted Game of Cat and Mouse!**

-----------------------------------------------

It should have been a normal day for Yuuku Hanako. Getting out of the shower and getting dressed, she decided to head down to the local bakery to get some muffins for her and Crystallene.

As she calmly walked down the sidewalk to the bakery, she thought back to all of the human partners of the experiments she'd fought BEFORE meeting up with Page and Dr. Rupert. She'd been surprised at how many humans HATED her for some strange, unknown-to-her reason. Was it her face? Or maybe it was racism?

Why did they hate the young Japanese woman? Was it because they felt she shouldn't be involved with any experiments at all? Why wouldn't they give her a chance?

…well, at least SOME of them had given her a chance. And it had "paid off". She was an amazing partner to Crystallene AND she could hold her own in a fight. She'd proven herself time and time again.

And today she was going to get another chance to prove herself.

You see, she was being watched by three black experiments…by Famine, War and Apocalypse, the "Deadly Trio" of Dr. Andrew.

Famine, the leader, rubbed his chin, smirking as he looked over the girl. He'd gained some respect for feisty and intelligent girls, something obtained from his creator, and it would be interesting to see how the girl would react to what was going to happen. He wondered if she'd scream.

War on the other hand, just wanted to see a lot of violence and death. Among other things. He sniggered happily as he watched the girl enter the bakery, turning his head to look at Apocalypse, who was calmly whittling a bone into a shiv. "Five bucks says she doesn't last ten minutes." He told him.

"…fine. Five it is." Apocalypse said, nodding.

"Didn't we also send a large group over to the house?" War asked. "How much you wanna bet that pink one and the friggin' albino bite the dust in ten minutes?"

"…TEN dollars." Famine asked, grinning. "I've got bills to pay."

"Hope ya haven't licked the envelopes." War said, grinning as he shook Famine's paw. "Because this is going to be the easiest ten dollars I've ever made."

…

…

…

… "Where IS he?" Yuuku frowned as she looked around the bakery. All of the nicest-looking goods were in a display case to the side of the cash register, but nobody was there. Perhaps the baker was in the bathroom.

"I'll just leave the cash out front, okay?" She called out. "Under this napkin dispenser!" She put down a fiver so the baker could keep the change and took a couple of corn muffins, heading out the door, not noticing the door to the bathroom was finally opening as a man groaned, staggering out of it, blood matted on his mouth and head…

Yuuku, meanwhile, was with White, who was making her some hot chocolate back at her and Yuuku's place.

"Thanks for bringing that movie over to our house." The pink-furred Crystallene said, smiling. "You're awfully nice when you wanna be."

"Yeah, well, what can I say? I like you people." White laughed gently, pouring the hot cocoa into a mug that had the words "This mug contains scalding hot coffee. If you make a sexist remark I'll spill it on your crotch. Have a nice day."

"If you really DO like us, how come you always act like you know something we don't know but SHOULD know?" Crystallene wanted to know. "It's MAJORLY weird. And creepy."

"Simple." White said, raising up a finger. "I'm NOT joined with you guys to defend the good. I simply hate a$$holes and I do whatever the heck I want."

Then White blinked, seeing something in the backyard. "Hold on…"

He looked out the window and saw somebody approaching. Actually, SOMEBODIES.

"What the?!" He frowned as his eyes narrowed at the sight of them. They all had pale-looking bodies, messy clothes…and blood. Blood all over them.

There was only one logical explanation.

"ZOMBIIIIIES!" White cried out. "There's zombies in the backyard!"

CRASH!

"Uh, sounds like there's zombies in the HOUSE now!" Crystallene gulped as the front door was knocked down. "Are they "28 Days Later" zombies, "Of the Dead" zombies or "Resident Evil" zombies?"

One of the zombies staggered into the kitchen. White immediately grabbed a kitchen knife and threw it, and it impaled the zombie's heart. But it still kept walking. So he grabbed a plate and it whizzed through the air, taking it's head off and making the thing drop down dead.

"I'd say "Of the Dead" zombies." White remarked.

"Ohmygawdohmygawdohmygawd!" Crystallene gasped, clutching the sides of her head. "YUUKU! She's outside! Out THERE! With the zombies!"

White grabbed ahold of Crystallene and picked her up. "Hold on." He insisted. "TIGHTLY."

Well, she did.

TWHOOOOOOM! He raced to the bedroom and snatched Yuuku's book up, then in a flash, he and Crystallene were OUT of there!

…

…

…

…Yuuku soon found something scary waiting for her as she walked onto the road that led to her home…LOTS of zombies all lined up, moving forward slowly, groaning and moaning. And on a building's roof nearby…the Deadly Trio themselves.

"Hello, Ms. Hanako." The first one announced. "I am Famine."

"I'm War." The second one spoke up.

"Apocalypse is my name." The third finished.

"Our creator, Dr. Andrew, asked us to destroy you and your partner…along with your friends. This way our HIGHER master, Kaiser, can go about his plans uninterrupted."

"You're…you're working for HIM?!" Yuuku asked angrily. "But he's gonna wipe out every single experiment! YOU guys will count too, y'know!"

"Who cares?" War laughed. "We don't care what happens to other experiments."

"Even if the power of Hate lives long after Death, we'll be quite satisfied to work alongside Kaiser in helping him eliminate all experiments." Famine remarked softly.

"Now do you want our ZOMBIES to kill you, or would you like to beg us for a merciful end?" Apocalypse inquired. "Begging sometimes helps. Not much though."

Yuuku looked left, then looked right. Then she saw a lead pipe in a nearby alley and rushed into it, pulling it up and twirling it around as the zombies advanced. "I don't NEED to beg for mercy from you!" She growled. "I can take these things on my own!"

"Really? Well then…show us." Famine inquired. "Now, our servants…destroy her!"

The zombies lurched forward at her, but much to the threesome's surprise, Yuuku was a lot more skilled than they'd imagined. Swirling the long lead pipe around, she swung it over and over, bashing zombies left and right, leaping through the air and kicking hard and fast, knocking them down.

"She's…FAST." War gaped.

One zombie was struck across the nose and it looked down stupidly as the nose dandled by a thread of skin. So Yuuku apologized. "Sorry." Then drove the lead pipe through it's head, yanking it back out so she could backhand another zombie that was right behind her before kicking it's head completely off.

"This human's actually a worthy opponent." Apocalypse admitted, clapping his paws AND smiling slightly at the sight of Yuuku as she leapt on her hands and spun around and around, kicking a large group of zombies down to the ground. Once they were knocked down to the ground, she'd leap on them and drive the lead pipe right through the head, destroying the brain.

"We might actually have to do this OURSELVES." Famine inquired of them. "In any case…War, you owe us money."

"…mother of…FINE." He snapped, handing them some cash. "She was more skilled than I thought she'd be. We WILL have to do this ourselves."

Yuuku stood there, gasping in exhaustion. "Phew…they're all…gone." She gasped out. "Every one of 'em…dead. Suck on THAT, you stupid zombies."

"You're forgetting US, girl." Famine announced as he and his brothers leapt down to the ground.

All three of them held forth their arms…Apocalypse held out his right, War held out his left, Famine holding out both. A black light surrounded their bodies as their eyes gained slit blue pupils. "**FAUCES!**" They announced.

THUDDA!

Two large, bony hands shot up from the ground and held Yuuku's arms together, pinning her in place as the three experiments approached her, with War grinning evilly. "Ooh, we're gonna have FUN with you, girl!" He announced.

"On the other hand, what a way to go." Famine added, smirking.

"You sick…SICK…" Yuuku hissed, spitting at them.

"Kitty has claws." War sniggered. He then promptly b--ch-slapped her across the face, making her gasp in pain. "Say it! You're a stuck-up little tart! A WORTHLESS, stuck-up little tart!"

A pair of fists clenching…angry…getting more and more so…

"I'm...not…sayin'…that…you…pigs."

Apocalypse clapped his hands and the black glow surrounded his body. A bony set of stairs arose from the ground and he walked up to Yuuku's face, taking her chin. "DON'T make this difficult, girl. We can be gentle when we want to." He insisted softly, stroking her. "Such a pretty face…"

"Let's start by taking off her clothes." War said, holding up his jagged sword. He quickly began slicing them off and soon Yuuku was almost totally nude save for her underwear.

"I'VE got this." Famine announced, raising a claw.

He raised it up high and brought it down, ripping it off…

…

…

…

…well, he WOULD have brought it down to rip it off. But then Crystallene appeared, kicking him across the street. War and Apocalypse turned their heads just in time to have Crystallene knock said heads together, making them fall to the ground…and then she picked them up and threw them over to Famine.

Finished for the moment, she turned her attention towards her partner, who had been set freed by White, who handed her the pink spell book. "I believe THIS is yours." He said, smiling in a charming fashion. Yet even though she was almost buck naked, he was looking only at her face…and there was a hidden anger that was slipping out from behind his pink eyes which made Yuuku worry.

But they had to deal with Crystallene first. The three experiments stood up and growled, then they saw Crystallene was holding her hands above her head.

"**THE SIXTH SPELL…VINDICO PIACULUM!**"

Now the spear-holding Goddess of Vengeance appeared in the air above her. A large crystal ball was in placed before the chest of the beautiful being and it showed Crystalline and it showed Yuuku being attacked by zombies as the Deadly Trio watched on, amused.

The face became fanged, the hair becoming wild and snake-like.

NOW the ball showed them capturing Yuuku and War insulting her, slapping her across the face. The goddess's back now had HORNS grow out of it, a thorny crown appearing on her head…

Then it showed all of Yuuku's clothes, save for her undies, being ripped off.

The spear became jagged and black. The hair shout out EVERYWHERE. The goddess's eyes glowed pure red as she howled like a wolf…

"Oh my." Apocalypse remarked as the attack sailed right at them.

BA-BOOOOOOOOOOM!

They went flying through the air, bloodied bruises covering their bodies, crashing to the ground. They all got back up a few moments later though, looking ANGRY…especially WAR.

"I'll KILL YOU! You little BITCH!" He howled, rushing forward towards Crystallene.

"**CONTEGO!**" Yuuku read out as Crystallene held up her paws, calling forth the domed shield around her and her partner. War slashed and hacked over and over at the shield, which began to crack after a few minutes, making War grin. "OOH, I'm gonna have such FUN with you!"

CRA-CRASH! The shield crumbled to pieces and Yuuku was knocked back by a quick high kick to her face. "YUUKU!" Crystallene shouted, whipping around and trying to run towards her..

But unfortunately War was faster. He grabbed her by the neck and flung her to the ground with Famine and Apocalypse approaching her. War licked his blade with his tongue before placing it to the side and looking up at Famine, pinning Crystallene down with his arms. "You want the first go?" He inquired of the leader.

Crystallene's eyes widened in horror when she realized what they intended to do. Famine licked his lips and rubbed his paws together. "Oh, she'll feel so GOOD." He whispered. "Now if you don't fight back, you might actually enjoy it too, dear…"

He laid down on top of her and she could see his body quivering as he prepared to do the unspeakable.

"Why are you doing this?" Crystallene sobbed, turning her head to the side, unable to look the man in his eyes.

"Because we want to, my dear." Famine remarked softly. "And because we CAN."

Then there was a THWUMP sound and Famine was no longer about to rape Crystallene, but was instead becoming a vanishing speck in the distance, crashing down into a forest. "What the…" War gasped out, his eyes going wide.

THWUMP!

Now HE was gone, crashing into the far-off forest. Apocalypse looked around, then glared at Crystallene. "One of your TRICKS?" He inquired coldly, claws digging into her neck. "Well you shall not be doing any more now. If you try anything, I'll rip your throat out before I kill you-"

THWUMP.

No, it HADN'T been her. But it HAD been White. And now APOCALYPSE was becoming vanishing specks in the distance. White cracked his knuckles and walked after them calmly. "I'll be right back." He announced to Crystallene as Yuuku helped her partner up. "This shouldn't take THAT long."

…

…

…

…White calmly approached the forest clearing, looking around. Then he closed his eyes and smirked.

"Heh-heh. Lemme guess…you're thinking if you stay absolutely still and don't move, I can't see your weakened forms, right? I can't find you if you're quiet, right? But I can. And I will."

Silence. STRAINED silence. White laughed loudly. "Hahaha! And…and NOW you're thinkin' that I'm joking! After all, I'm only HUMAN, right?!"

Then his gaze turned dark and deadly, brow furrowing. "But I ASSURE you, as a being of chaos, that I'm not. You have my solemn oath. I'm a WONDER. Time is mine to command. So all I have to do is freeze the whole area in time…"

"That…that's not FAIR…" Famine's voice squeaked out nervously.

"No, I don't suppose it IS." White remarked, snapping his fingers. SHOOM! All of time in the immediate area was frozen and White leisurely walked around, picking up the experiments one by one and dropping them back in the center of the clearing. "You were going to murder ALL of us, huh?! WEREN'T YOU, you little pricks!!!"

He snapped his fingers and allowed them to be able to move their MOUTHS. They began pleading. _"Yes, yes, please don't kill us, please don't!"_

"But that's not why I'm ANGRY." White growled. "I'm pissed because your treatment of Ms. Hanako was…**uncivil**." He hissed. "I can understand why you took her clothes off though…why you wanted to have some FUN with her…and why you tried to rape Crystallene. You're "men of the world", you understand sexy when you see it. You and I are much alike…"

"Oh…oh no, oh NO…"

"Wait, stop…"

"D-Don't!"

"This is the life, isn't it boys?"

**"NAAAAAUUUHHHHHH…"**

"This is the LIFE…"

…

…

…

… Crystallene and Yuuku were headed towards the forest where White had taken off to. Yuuku continued to try and call White up, but it was only after half an hour that he DID pick up the phone, which she had on speaker.

"White, are you alright? I thought you'd be back SOONER." Yuuku insisted.

"I took my time. Lots to do." White said over the speakerphone.

"How come you have those powers anyway?" Crystallene asked. "I've been wonderin' for a while."

"Well, the truth is, I'm not just a teacher." White informed them. "My spiritual self…along with Grey's spiritual self…are connected to Nick. But while GREY is more of his bestial side…I am his diabolical urges given life. I've been around since he was…say…ten."

"A ten year old boy felt he had sins to purge?" Yuuku asked, skeptical as they approached the forest. They weren't TOO far from it now.

"He felt he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Like only he could see what was wrong and that he had to do something about it. He's always felt a need to save people. But do you wanna hear it?" White asked, amused. "The SINS he felt he needed to purge? Well…" A thoughtful "hmm". "He'd once stolen money…more like borrowed and never returned, but STILL…"

White then sniggered. "And he'd get daydreams of punching out people who wronged him. That's about it. Yeah, when I first was created I was this white-skinned, ugly little thing. Now I've got quite a nice complexion, can control time itself…AND I'm gorgeous. See, without ME, he's barely got any DRIVES…and without HIM…"

White appeared before them, stepping out of the forest, blood all over his shirt and jacket. "I've got hardly ANY restraints."

"Oh GEEZ…you're HURT!" Crystallene gasped.

"This? Oh no, this isn't mine." White said, placing his hands on his chest. "This belongs to that trio of experiments. They're still alive. I just left them frozen in time at the clearing. Ooh, lookit the pattern, it's like an inkblot test…whaddya see in it?"

Yuuku ran inside the forest quickly. A few moments later, she let out a bellowing roar. "AAAAHHHH! WHIIIITE!"

She rushed back out, teeth bared, screaming angrily. **"White, you sick little FREAK! **_**You are the S—T of the world!**_** I'LL F—KING KILL YOU!!!"**

"Yuuku, calm DOWN!" Crystallene shouted, pulling him back.

"LEMME GO!!!" Yuuku snarled. "I swear on my ancestor's grave the FREAK won't live a moment longer!"

"You try anything and neither will you!" Crystallene insisted.

"Smart girl!" White laughed. "Now if you don't mind…I'm off to wash this stuff of me."

**Nick: Who the heck are THESE guys?!**

**Chopsuey: Bounty Hunters? He hired Bounty Hunters?**

**Yuuku: I didn't think anybody could be sicker than those trio of perverts...**

**???: We're gonna have FUN on this island!**

**Chopsuey: Find out who the latest threats are on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	72. Attack of the Bounty Hunters!

**CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO**

**攻撃はバウンティハンター！**

**Attack of the Bounty Hunters!**

**----------------------------------------- **

"And so THAT…is the problem."

Dr. Andrew put his hands together, flexing out his fingers and sighing sadly. "I'm worried now that all of their watches have been destroyed. I'm heading over to Earth in a week along with Tom, but I can't go any sooner because there are still some deadly kinks that need to be worked out with the book. What I want is somebody to bring back my experiments, my…my children…to me. AND…" His eyes behind his visor narrowed as he clenched his fingers into fists on both hands.

"To KILL the ones who took them out of the picture!"

The foursome looked this person over. "…it'll be costly…" One spoke up. "But I trust you can pay for it?"

"Yes, yes, money is no object."

Another scratched the back of his head. "You want them to take a wipe out, you got it. By the way, do you mind that I'm dressed all cazh?"

"Uh…you mean "casual"?" The doctor asked.

"That's what I just said, rah-rah. Don't be a square."

"Right, right. Can you do it?"

"Oh, it'll get done. We'll go tell our associate to ready the ship." Another said, nodding his head.

…

…

…

…the threesome walked out of the room and headed to a spaceship that was docked alongside the space laboratory, going through the airlock and inside. There, waiting for them at the helm, was an experiment who had a body design like that of Stitch's, save for that he was black instead of blue on most of his body and his chest and stomach were red instead of light blue. His dark blue eyes glinted with interest as he looked his fellow "bounty hunters of great justice" over. He had a color-changing crystal on his chest and it was changing from orange to red at the moment as he spoke up. "So what is going on with this Dr. Andrew Leafgreen?"

"Mellow out, Orion. It's all good! We got a job!" his friend Frequency said, holding up a thumbs up. "We're gonna head over to the Planet Earth for a sweet job."

"Yes, it will be QUITE a sweet job indeed…" Another spoke up, smiling happily.

"Let's get the ship going then…"

…

…

…

…it was a seemingly ordinary day for Lilo, Stitch, Nick and Chopsuey. All of them were doing a new approach to training that Kim was having them do…fighting with weapons.

"In Brightest Day, in Blackest Knight!" Lilo laughed, holding up a lance and twirling it around.

"Look! I'm a Knight of the Old Order!" Stitch laughed, holding up a shield and a sword.

"Honestly, Nick. You coulda picked something interesting like these tonfa I've got." Chopsuey swung his tonfa left and right, then twirled around on his head. "HIYAAAAH! You could have picked anything, really. Why choose a STICK?"

"This isn't just ANY stick, this happens to be mine from home! And it's my GRANDPA'S stick." He insisted, holding it up. It was a long walking stick with a brass end at the top, and a golden screw sticking said brass end into the stick. "I coulda picked the one with the green duck head, but I like the feel of this one the most." Nick insisted.

Chopsuey held up the book he had. "Let's do some variation. Lilo and you will fight with weapons AND read out spells while me and Stitch go head-to-head!"

"That sounds like a good idea." Lilo admitted. "But we'd better use the rubber weapons for-"

SCWHOOOOOSH!

"What the?!" Lilo gasped as something sticky and green began wrapping around her and Stitch. She tried to reach for the book, but soon she was completely covered in said-stickiness.

"What the HEY?!" Chops managed to get out before he too was covered up in the sticky stuff. Now he, Lilo and Stitch were all wrapped up from head to toe and Nick was left alone.

"ERGH!" Nick tugged on it as best he could for each of them. "What IS this freaky-deeky-thing?!" He growled, tugging on Chop's weird-

"A cocoon." A voice said.

Nick turned his head to see an alien being that was unmistakably Irken in appearance and sitting atop of Lilo's cocoon. He had a maroon outfit that was standard of the Irken Invaders and black boots, along with black gloves to cover his three-fingered, clawed hand. He wore nothing on his arms and legs, exposing his greenish skin and he had antennae that curled…and ended in rounded tips. Odd.

But odder still…he was blind. His eyes were white.

"Who the heck are you?" Nick growled. "I'll bet you're another competitor or something that's out to jump us and kill us when we're vulnerable! How typically cowardly…"

He then realized something. "And…Chops and Lilo have the books and are now in cocoons. Well THAT'S not good…"

The Irken patted the top of Lilo's cocoon. "Don't worry little one, I'll keep her niiiiice and cozy for you. So…" He smiled in a warm but sinister fashion. "No book. No real weapons. How will you fight, child?"

"I don't know who the heck you are, but you'd better let them go!" Nick demanded angrily.

"Address me as Invader Darth of the Irken Empire. I have loaned out my services as a Bounty Hunter…a hired Killer. And as it were, our goal is to bring back Dr. Leafgreen's experiments and kill you and the other book keepers who destroyed their watches. Now tell me…besides you, who else fought against Gaiden, Ice, Ela Hani and the Deathly Trio?"

"Well White, Chops, Grey, Dude and Heartwing were the ones who actually destroyed watches. Lilo and Stitch don't have anything to do with this!" Nick insisted.

"Oh, you care about her, don't you?" Darth inquired. "Then you deserve to know that your friends cannot breathe in the cocoon."

"WHAT?!" Nick shouted.

Darth placed a clawed, gloved hand on the cocoon and stroked it. "Slowly they suffocate within the dark shell, swallowed by the dark…"

He then raised his hand up and closed his eyes as a greenish/brown orb of sticky ooze formed in his hand. "I'm a Wonder whose power is related to Earth. That special substance they're stuck in is a plant gum generated by combining pollens from the air and my own special elemental addition." He tossed the ball up and down in the air, then clasped his gloves together and began squishing it around. Soon he'd created a small picture of a girl.

"Don't worry little human. You'll join her soon enough." He crooned.

"How DARE you…" Nick growled. "I'll…I'll…"

"You'll WHAT? You cannot do anything without your friends OR the book." Darth remarked.

"Oh yeah…well perhaps that might have been true at first. But not anymore!" Nick shouted, taking up a defensive pose. "C'mon, jerk! You've gotta be blind as a bat if you can't see me as a threat!"

That irked the Irken. Darth clenched his claws. "I can SEE you just fine thanks to the natural flora all around. Here I am stronger than a little pest like YOU!"

He thrust his gloved claws up and fired off streaming bursts of gooey muck that rushed through the air. Nick ducked to the side and rolled along the ground as Darth fired off the muck over and over. "I can make them hard as BULLETS, boy!" He called out. He clenched his claws again and a HUGE mound of Earth shot up to Nick's left, just barely missing him. So he rolled to the side again and again, barely able to dodge the chunks of Earth that were shooting up around him.

"You cannot dodge forever, boy!" Darth called out.

"Oh YEAH?!" Nick growled. He then grabbed a nearby rock and threw it…

THWOCK. Darth caught it. "I told you, I can SEE through the plants around you, boy!" Darth growled. "As long as my hands are movable I can do anything. Including…THIS!"

He raised his hands up and an ENORMOUS wall of prickly vines shot from the ground, rushing at Nick like a deadly wave. Nick did the only thing he could think of…

He jumped on top of the cocoon with a "Sorry Chops" and then LEAPT over the wave, much to Darth's surprise. "Oh my…I can't believe what I'm seeing!" He gasped out.

"BELIEVE IT!" Nick shouted, slamming into the Irken. He delivered a series of quick, rapid blows to the face, then followed it up with a kick to the stomach, then finally ended it by slamming both hands down in a double-fisted-karate-chop on his neck, knocking him down.

Picking up the Irken and taking off the gloves, he used the claws to cut his friends free and hugged them all tightly as they took deep breaths. "Thank God you guys are okay!" He insisted.

"I'm glad you're alright too." Chops insisted. "You've gotten better at this whole "heroic book keeper" thing."

"Now then…" Lilo crossed her arms, looking the Irken over. "What to do with him?"

…

…

…

…They'd stuck Darth into the ground. Now his hands were unmovable. He frowned slightly as they spoke to him, demanding answers.

"Start talking. Dr. Leafgreen hired you, right? How'd you get here?" Chops demanded.

"By _**flying saucer**_, how do you THINK, human?" Darth groaned. "It's really no use in trying to interrogate me. I won't be able to tell you anything interesting."

"How about why you decided to be a bounty hunter and not just stay with the Empire?" Chops demanded to know. "From what I've been reading up on, Tallest Miyuki is a very sweet-hearted being. She treats other races fairly and is quite pacifistic. Plus she's cute for an Irken…" He added, nervously blushing.

"Yeah, I saw the photos too…" Stitch admitted. "Such a lovely shade of blue!"

"…he likes blue." Lilo explained to a mortified-looking Darth.

"Miyuki used to talk a lot about peace…about bringing peace to the Empire and spreading it through the galaxy by making alliances and bonds with other planets." He admitted. "And I used to believe that what she said was true back when I was first working for her." He then sighed sadly. "But that was me speaking as a 30-year-old. Now I'm 159, a former Invader and a long-time soldier. Speaking as a 159-year-old member of the Irken military, I do not believe peace is possible. There isn't one definite source of evil in the universe. It's everywhere. World peace is a myth, humans. War can and will continue for ages as long as weapons and evil and misguided martyrs are present." Darth finished.

"Well I dunno about that…" Nick insisted.

"Maybe, maybe not…" Lilo said, shrugging. "Even IF it's not possible to gain world peace, that doesn't mean we can't try-"

"TAIYOOOOOH!"

They all looked up to see an experimental being approaching from the sky. They gaped as he landed some feet away, standing up and exposing himself, a color-changing gem embedded in his chest. He pointed at them all.

"What HO! Orion has arrived!" He announced.

"Another fanon experiment, perhaps?" Lilo wondered.

"Oh my! Darth old friend, what have they done to you?" Orion inquired, looking over at Darth as the others stood in front of the Irken. "I shall avenge your defeat and slay these evildoers!"

"…uh…evildoers?" Stitch inquired.

"You are all naïve. But you're at least you're not GULLIBLE like him. In case you can't already tell, he thinks that all bounty hunters are good guys taking down bad guys. And on times when we don't think he'd go along with it normally, we feed him…misinformation to get him to work with us." Darth said quietly.

"…Now I'm gonna feel guilty about this." Stitch said, jumping forward with Chopsuey. "Take THIS!"

"No, you take THIS! **ARS OPUS!**"

CLOMP-CLOMP!

They were grabbed by their legs, swung rapidly around, and then slammed into the ground as Orion leapt up into the air, spinning his body before he brought his feet down into the chests with a huge THA-THUNKA sound that created a small crater below them. "HWAAAAH!" Orion roared out.

"EEEEGH!" Stitch gasped. "WOAH!" Chops yelled out, crawling out of the crater with Stitch as Orion stepped back. "He's got a TON of brute force in his body!"

"I'm guessing that fancy-lookin' crystal on his chest has to do with it…" Nick admitted.

"Not for THAT…but a good guess all the same, human. My martial arts skills are works of art!" Orion said happily.

"I guess we can't just use fists. Let's take it up a notch!" Stitch called out. "Lilo?"

"Nick?"

"You got it! **FISTEN!**"

"Here it comes! **IADEO-IEDO!**"

The two attacks rushed towards Orion, who held his paws up to the crystal on his chest. "**CADEO!**"

SCHA-BOOOOOM!

A shockwave of ENORMOUS power sent the attacks spiraling back. "WOAH!" Chops yelled out as he and Stitch jumped out of the way just in time. "How in the HEY?!"

"That time I'm SURE the fancy-lookin' crystal on his chest had to do with it…" Nick insisted.

"Correct, evildoers! My crystal can send ANY attack you send at me right back at you only ten times stronger. BOO-YAAAAH!" Orion shouted out.

"We're gonna need to get involved too, Lilo!" Nick shouted, holding up his staff. "But instead of US going head to head AND using weapons, we're gonna take on-"

"Your opponents are US."

"Whassaaaaaap?"

Nick and the others turned their heads to see a blue-furred experiment with neon green, round crystals embedded in his paws. He had fur that was the color of the ocean, with scraggly light blue hair that fell down out of a red bandanna on his head. He wore red and white surfer-style clothing including a white, sleeveless t-shirt and he had a black belt that had neon-green waves like those that were used to measure the frequency of music riding up and down it. His feet were balled, and he had a pink peace sign hanging around his neck as he looked them over, sunglasses covering his eyes.

Standing next to him was a rather tall female Irken with pink eyes who was wearing a big white t-shirt that had a large pink heart on the front. It was so big it completely covered her lower half…and it was a good thing too, it didn't seem like she was wearing anything BENEATH it! She had on black boots and gloves and her antennae were curled up, reminding them of a reindeer's horns. She carried a blue "Guncon", a blue "light gun" with a small scope poking up at the top…it sent a concentrated burst of energy at it's opponent and had a wire sticking out the handle which attached itself to the firer's skin. It literally took your aura and fired it like a bullet at an opponent…you could almost NEVER run out of ammo if you were spirited enough!

"I'm Frequency." The experimental surfer dude spoke up.

"I'm Sue." The Irken added cheerfully.

"We haven't exactly come to jive, dudes and dudette." Frequency apologized. "You're gonna get reamed, right here, right now."

"Well, we're boned." Chopsuey announced.

"Oh c'mon, it's only THREE of them, and Darth's still-" Nick began.

"RRRR…AAAAAH!"

SCHOMPA-WHOMP! Darth tore out of the grand, standing atop mechanical, spider-like legs that were extending from a strange, rounded metal backpack on his back. He then stood by the other bounty hunters and folded his arms. "I have a PAK, you know."

"You coulda gotten out anytime you wanted?!" Lilo asked.

"Yes, but I wanted to wait for the right moment…basically a moment when your chew-out would fall flat." The Irken remarked, holding his hands behind his head and smirking. "Now…"

He turned on his heels and headed off. "I'm going to go pay a visit to little Yuuku and Crystallene. I imagine HE'S already gone to work on her…"

"You're just going to leave them to us? Why?" Sue asked. "Oh, wait. That whole "honor code" thing."

"Yes. They beat me before. You're very strong." He told Nick, turning his head. "I respect that. So I shall find a new opponent. You're not my foe anymore."

With that, he left them alone, heading towards town. Chopsuey frowned. "I don't know what to make of him…" He mumbled.

"You oughta be more worried about us." Sue giggled. "You're really cute! I think I'm gonna turn you into my own "Make A Bear"." She remarked, holding up her Guncon.

CA-CLICK!

"The chick is packed, the chick is packed!" Frequency cried out, laughing.

"**ADVERSOR!**" Nick shouted quickly, and it was a good thing he did, because the moment Chopsuey erected the glowing emerald shield, an ENORMOUS multitude of bluish/pink blasts struck against the shield, making Chopsuey cringe. "ERGH! It feels like I'm trying to hold back a SLEDGE HAMMER that's being shot against it over and over!"

Lilo flipped open her book. "Hold on guys, I'll-"

"COWABUNGAAAAA!"

She gaped at the sight of Frequency leaping high over the shield on his balled feet, grinning wildly as he took off his sunglasses, stuck them on his shirt, then landed right where Lilo had been a moment before…luckily she leapt back just in time.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Nice one!" Frequency said, clapping. "Major cool! Now check THIS out, dudette! It's GNARLY!"

He rushed forward and Stitch jumped up to stop him, but that made him an open target! Frequency grabbed ahold of Stitch with his paws and the gems on his paws glowed brightly.

FWOMP! Stitch's head buzzed terribly and he reeled back, groaning in pain.

*Punchyourselfpunchyourselfpunchyourself*

BANG-BANG-BANG!

"Why are you hittin' yourself, why are you hittin' yourself?" Frequency asked, sniggering as Stitch beat himself up.

"Leave him ALONE!" Lilo said, jumping forward and kicking Frequency clear in the chest…

Or at least she TRIED to. He grabbed her leg in his paw and shook his head. "MAJOR uncool, babe." He told her, his gems glowing.

*Takeoffyourbratakeoffyourbra*

Lilo jerked her leg out of his paw and frowned angrily. "What?! NO!"

Frequency blinked. "Woah…nobody's ever resisted it before! Awesomeness…"

"Huh?" Lilo gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I not only ride ocean waves but BRAIN WAVES too! I can get into your head and make you do anything! But for some reason I can't seem to work my mojo on YOU. Hmm…is it… "

He turned to Nick and Chops, who were trying to knock Orion and Sue back. Frequency rushed forward and grabbed ahold of Nick's shoulder…

*Punchyourselfpunchyourselfpunchyourself*

"What the? Get lost!" Nick said, shoving him back.

"WOAH, dudes! It don't work on humans? Well, I've never hunted humans before…" He admitted sheepishly.

"So your brain-wave thing doesn't work. Do it the old fashioned way and beat the evildoers into the ground!" Orion exclaimed.

"I dunno…I kinda don't wanna hit a girl…" Frequency admitted, looking Lilo over.

"Then just attack her partner! Without Stitch, Lilo can't do anything!" Sue insisted.

"Oh no…you did NOT just say that…" Lilo growled.

MEANWHILE…

Dr. Rupert brushed his hair back as he looked at Yuuku. "Are you ready?" He said. "I want to make sure you're not too angry for this."

Crystallene, who was standing next to Yuuku as they all stood around the kitchen table crossed her eyes and smirked. "My girlfriend's ready." She laughed.

"Giiirl!"

"Giiiiirl!"

The two then laughed at this and Dr. Rupert smiled. "Glad to see you're so pumped up! Now then, we've got to get going. Remember…"

He, Crystallene and Yuuku headed for the front door, then headed down the sidewalk towards White's home. "White's agreed to do this training as a way to make amends, he honestly is trying to apologize in his own way. But I want you to go all out against him…he'll hold back, but you can't."

"He held back with ME too." A voice spoke up. "That was his mistake, not taking me seriously."

FWOMP-SPLAT

White hit the ground in front of them, some blood dripping out the side of his mouth as he struggled to stand…in vain. He hit the ground again and turned to look at the girls, showing of his black eyes and the immense amount of claw marks on his chest…and his skin. His skin was so WHITE…

"Huuu…hiiii…giiiirls…"

"Oh my GOD…" Crystallene gasped in horror, covering her mouth. "What HAPPENED?"

"He…did…" White said, raising a shaky hand up to a nearby roof.

There, at the top of the roof, was a light black experiment with a pink chest and stomach and sharp red claws. He had no sight in his right eye, a scar across it told them that it was a battle wound. He had scars on his arm, stomach and legs and most disgusting of all, he was holding his own head up…he'd ripped his own head off and yet was grinning madly!

"I'm Ruin!" He spoke up. "Bounty Hunter, Hired Killer, Sick Bastard, Hired Killer, Skilled Sadist and Hired Killer!"

"Uh…you said "Hired Killer" three times." Yuuku mumbled.

"I like that part of the job." Ruin said cheerfully. "I like other things too. Like this!" He twirled his head around on one claw. "Oh I'm a headless, hoarse maaaaan!"

Crystallene vomited on the sidewalk as Yuuku gulped. How were they going to beat somebody like THAT? At least with ZOMBIES if you cut the heads off they usually died! This was a whole new horror!

And it was going to get worse.

**Chopsuey: These guys are twisted!**

**Ruin: We're gonna have a LOT of fun, aren't we ladies?**

**White: I said leave them alone!**

**Frequency: You're gonna have to work really hard to beat us, little dudes!**

**Nick: The "fun" continues on the next "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	73. Fall to Ruin, Rise to Glory

**CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE**

**破滅への落下****,** **栄光への立上がり**

**A Fall to Ruin, A Rise To Glory**

**--------------------------------------------**

_Okay, reality check! I'm facing down this crazy psycho bitch with a fancy gun, a high-jumping, fast-moving experiment who's currently taken control of Stitch AND this superhero experiment who thinks I'm the bad guy!_

"**GIGANO-PUNCHITO!**"

"**CADEO!**" Orion shot off a shuddering shockwave beam from his chest gem once again and Chops went flying back through the air, holding onto his chest and groaning in pain. Nick ducked as a blue laser blast sailed over his head and Sue giggled, holding her clawed, gloved hand over her mouth._  
_

_What happened to the good old days when all we did was beat up evil book keepers? Back then it was simple…they'd hunt you down in broad daylight and you'd beat their butts. Now the bad guys got SMART and FREAKY. They'll do things like send bounty hunters to soften you up before they kill you themselves, and they'll turn your girlfriend into a psycho!_

"Oh c'mon, you can't dance forever, kid!" Sue laughed, holding up the "Guncon" and firing again as Nick rolled to the side.

"Chops, how you holdin' up?" Nick called out.

"Trying not to die!" Chops yelled back as he and Orion began pushing each other, each one trying to knock the other to the ground.

_It's called the "Girlfriend stuffed into a fridge" cliché. It's what happens when the somebody does something horrifying and cruel to someone who can't fight back, usually a woman. It's something you never expected to happen, like having a guy cut your brain open using telekinesis or…well, stuffing somebody's girl into a fridge! And unfortunately…I'm facing an opponent right now who plans on doing something just like that!_

Frequency was calmly snapping his paw's fingers as he put on a pair of headphones and listened to "Surfing USA" by the Beach Boys. A heartbroken-looking Stitch was swinging left and right at Lilo, who kept jumping back, desperately dodging.

"You can't dodge forever, babe. Just let 'em hit you. I told him to only knock you OUT." Frequency insisted. "Inside-out-USA!"

_This crazy "Sue" just threatened to kill my partner and stuff him like he's a teddy bear! And she doesn't seem to be running out of ammo! I need to get the friggin' gun outta her hands!_

"Dude, I can hear your thoughts from over here!" Frequency said, putting the headphonesout of his ears. "I'm TRYIN' to tune in and stuff!"

"Oh, sorry to SPOIL YOUR GOOD TIME!!!" Nick snapped as he rolled away again.

Sue then reached around and pulled out ANOTHER Guncon. She smirked and began firing off rapid shots, making Nick run around and around while she giggled.

"Where the heck did you get THAT?!?" Nick shouted.

"I happen to be a Wonder! My power is that I can pull out guns from ANYWHERE!" She laughed.

"That's totally unfair!" Nick cried out.

"UNFAIR?! Like I give a flying f-"

"**TOTUS INSONS DRACO!**"

Sue looked up. "Oh my-"

PA-POWWWW! Heartwing punched her clear into the ground, striking her in the face and growling as Dude leapt down from a tree up top. "We're BACK, dudes!"

"Dudes?" Frequency looked up. "Woah…DUDE!"

Dude stood up and looked Frequency over. "Duuuude…"

The fighting stopped for a moment as everyone looked at the stoner and the surfer…and then the two EMBRACED like brothers!

"Duuude!"

"Coolaphonic getup, man!"

"You look like a big kahuna!"

"Totally boss bandana!"

"Hey, you know, I found these totally sweet-ass plants we can smoke, man!"

"You've been smokin'? You've been smokin'?"

"We're gonna get AMPED, man!"

Then the two began laughing madly. Sue rolled her pink eyes. "…men…are IDIOTS. Except for Zim. Oh, Zim…" Sue licked her lips. "One day, you and Dib will be all miiiine…" She crooned.

"Who's the nugg?"

"She's more of a Nicorico."

"Somebody tell me what they mean or I'll be up all night!!!" Stitch groaned, grabbing the side of his head.

"Stitch…you're back to normal!" Lilo said happily.

Stitch blinked. "Oh. Wow. I guess I am!"

"I speak some surfer, actually." Chops admitted. "A "nicorico" is like a poser. They pretend to be cool. A nugg is a hot girl. A "big kahuna" is equivalent to "the best dude on the beach" and getting "amped" means getting stoked, or charged up."

"Where did you LEARN all this stuff?" Nick asked.

"Actually this knowledge of surfer language came with the Mohawk." Chops admitted. "Jumba thought it would be **FUNNY**."

"Not that I don't find all of this fascinating, but…" Nick held the book up. "Chops, aim at the gun-toting chick!"

"Alright, experiment 626…I am going to avenge the people you have kidnapped and win for the sake of Dr. Leafgreen, who wants his prodigal children to come home!" Orion declared as he faced Stitch down.

Chopsuey took up a battle pose as Sue smirked, holding up her two guns, which transformed into their eyes into large bazookas! "Ha-ha-ha! Well, whaddya think of this?"

"Pretty impressive. But what do YOU think of THIS? **CREDERE POSTHAC!**" Nick roared out, clenching his fist.

Smirking proudly, Chopsuey held up his palms and missile launchers and cannons appeared on his person once more, as small beams of light rushed to meet at a single point in front of his maw, forming a large, glowing white orb…

"Not bad…but let's see how you like THIS!" Sue said, opening up her mouth as a circular carbine cannon shot out from it, little stands attaching to the sides of her mouth to steady a laser beam that was gathering energy at the end of the cannon. Her antennae then leveled against her head and twisted themselves, opening up to reveal shafts…

KA-CHIK! CHUDDA-CHUDDA-CHUDDA! The cannons unloaded their cartridges!

KAWHOOSH! The missile launchers raced through the air!

THA-SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The brilliant ball of light soared through the air!

But Sue unloaded HER weapons too!

FOOSHA-FOOSHA! The bazookas launched!

KA-CHICK! CHUDDA-CHUDDA-CHUDDA! The antennae/guns blasted away!

FUDDA-KAROOOOOOM! The mouth-cannon that she was wielding fired off and the attacks all whizzed towards each other…

And an enormous explosion resulted which seemed to engulf Sue, Chopsuey and Nick. Sue smirked as she shielded her eyes, laughing.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Not bad at all! But I can keep doing this over and over with my abilities as a Wonder! I even-"

Then she saw him. Rushing through the air…towards HER…

Holding onto his grandpa's walking stick.

SCHA-SLAM!!!

CRACK!

He used the metallic end and slammed the staff fully across her face, and with a CRACK her entire body became covered in little slivers as she quivered in place…

And then she fell apart right then and there…her skin coming off piece by piece to reveal a red-headed girl in a white t-shirt and pants, a big pink heart on the front of the t-shirt. The human groaned and stirred for a moment.

"How? I…I was able to change my appearance…I gained POWERS…" She gasped out.

"It's not the POWERS that make a person, just like it's not the weapon that makes a warrior! It's what you DO with them!" Nick said, resting the staff on one of his shoulders. "Think about that…while you're sleeping off your headache!!!"

And with that, Sue conked out.

STITCH

_Okay, this isn't what I was expecting to deal with now that I'm so close to becoming the champion experiment of Jumba's contest._

_We had just been having a little fun. All of has had been training hard. So we had been told to do WEAPON training and were trying to unwind by trying out the different weapons…_

_And THEN some freaky bug thing tied us up in cocoons. And THEN bounty hunters showed up! Now I have to fight against a cousin who thinks that I'm the bad guy._

_He's deluded, so I don't really WANT to hurt him. I feel sorry for him. But how am I going to defeat somebody like him who I feel so much pity for? Words alone might not do the trick…_

"Alright, experiment 626…I am going to avenge the people you have kidnapped and win for the sake of Dr. Leafgreen, who wants his prodigal children to come home!" Orion declared as he faced Stitch down.

"I don't want to fight you." Stitch said.

Orion blinked. "What?"

"We just wanna talk first. Is this what you really, REALLY want?" Lilo wanted to know.

"I love justice and fighting for the sake of good people." Orion said. "I always have, ever since I was first created!" He took up a fighting pose. "**ARS OPUS!**"

He spun around and around on his head, his feet stuck out in a kick and Stitch was forced back several feet, shielding his head as best he could from the onslaught of Orion's attack.

"Then why on Earth are you working for Dr. Leafgreen? Don't you know the reason WHY he sent his experiments here to Earth?" Stitch asked.

Orion then leapt up into the air, grabbing ahold of Stitch's ear as he did so and throwing him up higher than he was! Then he focused his energy and SLAMMED both his fists into Stitch's stomach before raising his foot and kicking Stitch into the ground.

Stitch moaned in pain as he staggered back up and Orion leapt back and forth on the balls of his feet in a battle stance. "I can guess…he sent his experiments here to defeat you for the sake of-"

"For the sake of his own experiments, who were in danger from a darker threat!" Lilo spoke up.

Orion blinked. "What?"

Stitch rushed forward and Orion's fist found his. The two began to push each other back right there on the spot as Stitch went on. "Dr. Leafgreen was threatened by Kaiser, a very powerful experiment who's sworn to murder all other experiments! He's hatred personified and unless Dr. Leafgreen wanted his children killed, he was forced to send them here…to Earth. To kill US! But they lost to us, so he hired bounty hunters to bring them back and do what his children COULDN'T do!"

Orion blinked. "What? No…you're LYING!" He growled, putting more pressure on Stitch's fist and making him bend on his knees. "Don't try to deceive me!"

"YOU'RE the ones who attacked first!" Lilo shouted. "And without warning! The good guys ALWAYS give some kind of warning just before they get started."

"And the bad guys don't try and talk the way we're talking." Stitch added.

Orion then stopped in place and Stitch stepped back, folding his arms across his chest. Lilo put the book down on the ground in front of her. "Go ahead. Burn our book. We're not gonna fight you anymore. You're NOT one of the guys, you're just mistaken."

Orion blinked in confusion as he stared at the blue book before him. "You're…giving yourself up…offering your only means of protection up? To a bounty hunter? Even to a righteous one that…that's not the sort of thing a villain would do…then…then they…" Orion blinked back tears. "They LIED to me…"

Nick patted him on the back, kneeling down. "Hey, it's not your fault…" He insisted.

"You're a MORON."

BANG!

They looked up to see Sue was standing back up, holding up her Guncon, a snarl on her face. Nick's back was smoking, he'd been shot hard and he was gasping on the ground. Chops ran to his side as Orion turned on Sue, who growled furiously.

"Yeah, we lied to you! We lied to you a bunch of times!" Sue snapped. "I can't believe you fell for that trick back on Sirius! I mean, a PRIEST being a serial killer?"

Orion's fist was clenching. His color-changing gem was glowing very brightly as Sue ranted on.

"You're so ridiculously gullible! We knew you wouldn't go along with THIS job so we fed you a spoonful of lies and you gulped them down! Yeah, we really enjoy serving you WHOPPERS!"

"Grrrr…you…stinking…LOUSY…"

"Whatcha gonna do? How about a WHINEKIN and some FRENCH CRIES to go with that whopper?" Sue laughed.

Instead what happened was Orion's entire body began to glow brightly, shimmering with many lights that all began to converge at the center of his chest, straight in front of the gem. He held his paws up…

"**CORUSCARE!" **He roared out.

An ENORMOUS power beam made of glittering crystals shout out from the gem, INCINERATING the ground it touched. Sue gasped in horror and began firing at it…

Foolish. It did nothing. She barely had time to scream as she was hit head on, and when the smoke cleared away…

She lay there, much of the front of her skin burnt away, exposing muscle and nerves. Nick gasped in horror as Orion fell to his knees, going unconscious, the stress from firing off his greatest attack AND of having to deal with the knowledge of betrayal proving too much.

"It feels just like I'm falling for the first tiiiime! It feels just like I'm falling for the first time!"

Nick picked up his cell phone from out of his pocket and put it on speaker. "Talk to me!"

"Guys…GUYS! HELP!"

Nick gasped as Dude, Heartwing and Frequency, who were all sitting together and trading surfing jokes looked at him. "What is it, Yuuku?"

"This guy named Ruin popped up and he TRASHED White and he's gonna kill us and he can take his own head off and not DIE!"

"Oh JEEZ, he sounds like a MONSTER." Nick gasped.

"Oh yeah, he's freakin' INSANE." Frequency agreed. "You guys are gonna wanna get going over to town. In fact…"

He quickly skated on his balled feet over to Lilo. "Here, get on my back." He said. "You and your partner better hold on tight!"

YUUKU

_Oh, we are BONED!_

_This creepy guy named Ruin showed up. He wants to kill me and Crystallene!_

_That's nothing knew. He's not the first man to try, but he definitely seems like he's gonna be the first one to succeed…because he CREAMED White! I don't know what the heck he did to him, but…_

_Oh boy! I have a feeling we're about to find out!  
_

"Have a taste of **THIS!**" Ruin laughed. He ripped out his heart and tossed it up in the air, with it still beating as the blackish/red organ pulsed. "You want a piece of my heart? Take ALL of it!" He sneered, throwing it at them.

"RUUUUUN!" White hacked out. The girls quickly dove to the side as the organ EXPLODED, releasing out a gooey black substance that oozed out onto the ground, sending up horrid fumes. "Stuff's…poisonous…got it…down my throat…"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! All it does is take a little touch to get you to your knees! Be grateful I want you ALIVE!" Ruin crowed to them.

Yuuku blinked. "You're not here to kill us?"

"Eventually, maybe, but right now…" He licked his lips. "Ooh, what FUN we could have!"

"Rape by freaky guy who can throw his own organs? Raincheck! YUUKU!" Crystallene yelled out.

"**PRAESIDIUM!**" Yuuku called out, making Crystallene launch a sparkling crescent wave right at Ruin…

Who was cut right across his shoulder. He shrugged, then the wound healed up right before their eyes.

"I heal so fast…in fact my organs grow right back the moment I pull them out of my body! Even if you kept them from growing inside my body I'd live for ten more minutes, which would be plenty of time to kill you." He remarked calmly. "And my blood is poisonous too!" he added cheerfully.

"SHAAAAHHHHH!"

Ruin looked up and to the right as Frequency landed on his balled feet next to Crystallene and Yuuku, with Lilo, Stitch and Kim riding on top of him.

"Kim! Lilo!" Crystallene laughed happily

"Ooh, lookit all the lovely ladies!" Ruin laughed. "But you don't stand a chance against me! Even WITH 626 helping you out!"

"Yeah…even I underestimated him and I'm half chaos! I shoulda figured him out sooner!" White went on.

Ruin then grinned. "Here's another neat trick I can do! No guts…no glory!" He quickly ripped into his stomach and pulled out his intestines, twirling them around and snapping them at the girls, who jumped left and right as he whipped the ground over and over. "See my name is Ruin, my favorite team's the Bruins, and if you give a prize for being sick then I'm-a-shoo-in!"

"You little JERK!" Kim shouted, pulling out something from her pocket.

BANG! She shot through the "ropes" and Ruin frowned. Then he held up a claw. "Well, you know what they say…you'd better have the STOMACH for stuff like this!"

He pulled out his stomach right before their eyes and swished it around, then tossed it through the air. They ran for their lives as acidic poison drenched the ground and Ruin laughed, extra arms popping out of his body. He pulled off two hands tossed them straight through the air…

GLOMP! One of the clawed hands grabbed ahold of Kim's butt and SQUEEZED as if naturally responding to sexy stimulus. "Hey, _sweet cheeks!_" Ruin sniggered.

A FURIOUS Kim raised her gun up and aimed.

BUDDA-BAM!

Ruin fell off the roof, rolling down to the ground. The others all blinked as Frequency quickly took off, heading for White's mansion. "Did…did I kill him?"

"I'm…kind of mad now…" Ruin growled. "Kind of…PISSED…"

He stood up, the bullet lodged in his bad eye. "I HATE IT…WHEN PEOPLE…SHOOT ME…IN THE EYE!" He growled. "I was TRYING…to beat you up…not to KILL you…but I think that I'm gonna kill ALL of you slowly and put your heads on SPIKES for all to see!" He roared out.

Ruin jumped up into the air just as Crystallene did, and the two slammed their fists into each other. Ruin just smirked as he jumped backwards, but Crystallene held her stomach and groaned. "That…HURT…"

"I might not be as strong as Stitch, BUT I don't feel pain at all AND I can't get damaged, so it doesn't really matter how strong I am as long as YOUR body can still suffer!" Ruin explained, sneering. "Not too smart are you, taking on somebody who can't die?"

"You know what's really not smart?" Crystallene mumbled.

Ruin blinked and got closer to her, looking interested. "What?" He inquired.

"GETTING CLOSE TO ME!" She shouted, punching forward, aiming for his balls…

BUMPH.

…not…doing…anything.

"…OW…" Crystallene said, holding her paw. Okay, it did something, it made her paw sore. "SHEESH, it was like hitting a brick wall! I keep forgetting I'm not too physically strong!"

"Crystalleeeeene!" Lilo complained. "You don't hit guys in the BALLS! I don't care if he IS a b--tard!"

"Yeah, it's REALLY uncool." Stitch admitted.

Ruin grabbed her by the neck, claws digging in as he laughed and laughed. "Idiotic girl! Even if you cut off my legs and arms and head, I'd just get my strength back the moment my limbs returned to their normal positions!"

"Hold on, Crystallene!" Yuuku said, rushing forward. Ruin grinned and tossed Crystallene's body in the air, then punched Yuuku square in the stomach. The girl hit the ground as Ruin held his clawed paw up and caught Crystallene, then he picked Yuuku up with his other paw.

"Let them GO!" Kim shouted, putting rubber bullets into her gun and firing…

Unfortunately Ruin just laughed and held YUUKU up, and the attack struck her shoulder. "AAA!"

"YUUKU!" Kim shouted.

"Your aim needs improving, you little bitch!" Ruin sniggered. "Observe a master at work! HIYAH!" he tossed Crystallene and Yuuku through the air and they bowled Kim over. Now all three of them were on the ground.

"**PUNCHITO**!" Lilo read out. Stitch's paw glowed brightly as he launched a blue, fist-shaped energy blast at Ruin, who simply took the blast, grinned, then stepped forward.

"Your little tricks aren't going to work on me…" Ruin insisted calmly.

"Stitch's, let's cut him to pieces and test out how "invincible" he really is!" Lilo shouted.** "RYO-DIARUK!"**

Stitch's body was encased in a shimmering multicolored glow as his strength, speed and defense went up. He took up a fighting pose and rushed forward, slashing and slicing as Ruin jumped left and right, laughing and dodging all the attacks.

"Oh, what FUN I'm going to have with your little partner's body once I'm finished!" He laughed.

"Don't…you…" Stitch's paws became harshly balled fists as he jumped into the air. "EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!"

SA-SLASH! He struck hard, slashing right across Ruin's chest…and all too late found out that Ruin's blood was poisonous. The acidic blood bathed against his chest, splashing out and making him reel back in pain, clutching his chest. "AAAAGHHHH!"

"Oh I'm not FINISHED yet!" Ruin added, grabbing Stitch by the throat and slamming his fist into his stomach over and over.

"Leave him ALONE!" Lilo shouted, rushing forward. Ruin smirked and tossed Stitch to the side, jumping up and kicking her straight in the face. She held her potato nose as Ruin then punched her so hard she flew into the pile with the other girls, and now they all lay there, moaning as they tried to stand.

"And just like that, your little harem's gone." Ruin told Stitch.

"Not quite, donkey!" Frequency said, rushing back to the streets, holding up a strange device with a long shaft at the end that had many buttons attached to it. "There's one more member and he's got a honkin' LASER!"

"Frequency you LOLO, did you just jack that thing from White's house?! How's it supposed to get it's power?" Lilo growled, getting up as best she could.

Frequency's sunglasses fell off, exposing his yellow eyes. He blinked. "It's what now?" He asked quietly.

"I've been yearning to dismember you ever since I heard that annoying accent of yours." Ruin remarked, advancing towards Frequency, claws itching to tear.

"Energizer bunny, heat this bizzizzle up!" Frequency said, tossing the laser to White, who had finally gained the strength to stand.

"How do you like your bounty hunter, girls? Whipped…OR FRAPPE?!?" He shouted, his hands glowing with a bright pink shine as waves of pink energy sailed out from the laser, slicing through Ruin's body and cutting him up into pieces. Now his head sat on the ground.

At first Ruin looked VERY shocked and pale. But then he sniggered.

"Geh-heh-heh! Big friggin' deal! I'll just pull myself back together!"

"No…you WON'T…" White laughed. "Girls…attach his limbs back together **yourselves**!"

TEN…MINUTES…LATER…

Ruin's left arm and right leg had been switched around…and his head had been placed on the wrong end too. He frowned as he looked up at them all, his hands stuck where his head had been.

"This is DEBILITATING." He muttered hatefully. "I can't use my powers until all my limbs are back to their normal places! You stinkin' friggin' MONKEYS!"

"Oh be quiet. We'll put you back together if you promise to behave." Nick said, folding his arms as he looked him over. All of the guys had gathered at Dr. Rupert's house and were in the living room…save for Frequency and Dude, who were up in the attic with what Dr. Rupert described as a "freaky-looking vase" the hippie had brought.

"Well, all of the bounty hunters have been taken care of, right?" Lilo asked.

"No…there's one more out there." Nick said. "An Irken named Darth showed up, fought us, then vanished. He said he was going after YOU…" He said, turning to Yuuku and Crystallene.

"Well he never came to us." Yuuku said. "Wonder why?"

…

…

…

...quite some distance away, a black-toupee-wearing, green-skinned "boy with a skin condition" named Zim walked down the street, whistling as he put his gloved hands in his pockets. He then heard rustling in the bushes nearby and turned his head as a blind form emerged.

"Hello…Zim…former head scientist of Research Station Nine…" Darth whispered. "We have business, you and I. So I'll make it very quick…"

He grabbed ahold of Zim's throat and leaned in close. "WHERE…IS…MY…BROTHER?!?"

**Nick: The bounty hunters can't hurt us anymore...**

**???: Hold on a moment there.**

**Chopsuey: Oh WHAT?! Who are THESE guys?!**

**Dr. Leafgreen: If you want something done right...**

**Nick: Great, so it's not just HIM, it's THESE guys who are causing trouble on the explosive next installment of "Alternate Fate: Fantasy"!**


	74. In the Name of the Father

**CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR**

**父親の名前で、息子の名の下に**

**In the Name of the Father, In the Name of the Son**

**---------------------------------------------------**

_Okay, where were we?_

_Right, right, I remember. Grey had still been heartbroken over what happened to Ewa Lani and was still not leaving her bedside…and Ice, Gaiden and the Deathly Trio (who had FINALLY recovered from what White had done to them) all stayed by her side as well._

_The Bounty Hunters were staying at Dr. Rupert's place while we asked them all the questions we could about Dr. Leafgreen. The more we knew, the better prepared we could be. _

_Unfortunately a lot of what we found out was…well…_

"Okay…let's go over this again."

Pleakley flipped open the notebook he had in his three-fingered, slender hand and sighed. "So far we know that Dr. Andrew Leafgreen and his strongest experiment, Tom, will be coming soon. We know that he has a BOOK instead of a watch. We know that Andrew is a summer and Tom is a winter. We know that Tom likes watching horror films and playing games like "Resident Evil" and "House of the Dead". We also know he has a secret crush on Ewa Lani thanks to Frequency getting close enough to "noogie" him, and that Dr. Leafgreen has precisely eighteen different-colored boxers. Which, sometimes, he wears outside his pants because he was in a hurry to get up. In short…"

Pleakley tossed the notebook in the air and held his head. "NOTHING! We know almost NOTHING! We can count the useful things we DO know about them on a single hand! MY hand!"

"Well it could be worse." Nick spoke up. "At least they didn't tell us anything about their sex lives or something creepy like THAT…"

"Hey…uh…" Ruin spoke up.

"NO." Chops growled. All of our protagonists, save for Grey and the other well-wishers of Ewa Lani, were situated in Dr. Rupert's kitchen. "We're NOT putting your head back on the right way until you make a promise that you'll stop hiding your body parts around the house!

YESTERDAY…

Lilo reached for the cupboard to pull out some hot cocoa mix. As she opened up the door…

"BOO!" Ruin's head said from inside the cupboard. Lilo shrieked and jumped back as Ruin laughed and laughed.

"Oh, you think that's REALLY funny, huh?" Lilo snapped as she closed the door to the cupboard and headed to the fridge. "See how you like being stuck in there for-YAAAAA!!!"

Ruin's BODY was in the fridge, the bloody end facing her. It waved cheekily, then hopped out, hopped onto the counter and opened up the cupboard to pull the head out and put it back on. "I gotcha good, Lilo!" Ruin sniggered.

"STIIIIIITCH!" Lilo called out.

"He did it again, didn't he? Okay, which part of his body do you want me to remove?"

"Uh…HAVE MERCY!"

PRESENT…

"Okay, FINE, I'll give it a rest with that stuff! SUE thought it was funny."

"Where IS Sue?" Dr. Rupert suddenly inquired.

A moment later they got their answer as Sue ran into the kitchen, panting heavily. "We've…got…problems! They're coming!"

"The doctor?" Dr. Rupert asked. "The OTHER doctor?"

"Not just…him!" Sue gasped. "They…brought…in the big guns!"

…

…

…

… "I don't…believe it…" Nick gaped.

There, before their eyes, was a streamlined white starship with a sleek green line running on either side. It had purple and white "fins" at the top, sides and bottom and large jets…and there, coming down from a staircase that extended from the main hatch that was just to the right of a winged logo…

"KILA!"

"XR!"

Nick, Chops, Dr. Rupert, Crystallene, Yuuku and Pleakley were happy to see Kila and XR coming down from the staircase. The two looked…nervous though. As they stepped onto the Hawaiian soil, Kila rubbed the back of her neck.

"Uh…hi guys…I'm sorry we have to meet like THIS." She spoke up.

"How come?" Nick asked.

Kila jabbed her thumb behind her. "Dr. Andrew called Star Command in. I went along with XR to talk some sense into them, but they pulled the "duty to the cause" card on me…"

"XR works for-hmm…" White rubbed his chin as he approached from out of the house with the bounty hunters behind him. "Yes, the color scheme fits. Green, white, purple and black. Not that bad for a bunch of dressed-up space police." White admitted. "But you need some GOLD. Bling-bling!" He added, pointing at his own gold jacket. Yes, he'd cleaned it, and his other bloodied-up clothes, all up.

XR spoke up. "I was created by Star Command's LGM…Little Green Men. Technicians and scientists." He added, seeing some confused looks. "They built my sister MALIK too, and…I'm sorry, I'm going off on a tangent." He smiled nervously. "The thing is, Dr. Leafgreen called up Star Command and told them about the contest on Earth. We went to Star Command to try and keep them from interfering and we failed…and had to lead them here. To Hawaii…"

"Which is where I come in." An authoritative, confident voice spoke up. It was a human who had deep, dark eyes and if he had any hair THEY sure couldn't see…it was covered by a purple "hood" of sorts that ran all the way over his head, though his face was clear to all. He was quite handsome, really…

The person who literally GHOSTED through the staircase to walk over to Kila and XR and stand by this first person was a woman with blue skin and long, flowing red/orange hair. She had deep blue eyes and was looking White up and down. He just raised his eyebrows and smile slightly.

"Ooooooh!" Heartwing said as his eyes went wide. "Ahhhh…"

Dude smiled in a wistful fashion. "She smells like blueberries…"

The next person who really lumbered out of the ship, BARELY able to squeeze out of the hatch, was a large red creature who had fairly long, pointed ears that shot up from his head, and his eyes were tinted pink, with black pupils. He had yellow fangs in his mouth and red, mottled skin but looked surprisingly docile…he had an air of stupid niceness about him.

"I'm Buzz Lightyear." Buzz Lightyear addressed the group. "Mira and Booster…and XR…are all my compatriots in the fight against criminal activity in the galaxy. We uphold the peace and do all we can to keep the evil of Emperor Zurg away."

CRASH! A nearby water vase that had flowers in it broke. Booster quickly reached out with one large, thick arm and covered Buzz's mouth. "SHHH! Buzz, you have to remember!"

"Right, right. Sorry old friend." Buzz apologized. "Unfortunately the mere MENTION of HIS name causes things to…break."

"Who?" White asked.

"Why, none other than Evil Emperor-" Nick began.

"NO!" Buzz, Mira, Booster, XR and Kila all said.

"What, I was just gonna say-"

"NO!" They shouted again.

"Don't say it!" XR insisted.

"Don't say WHAT?" Nick asked.

"Don't say his NAME!" Mira demanded.

"You mean don't say "Zurg"?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.

CRA-CRASSSSSHHHH!!! A nearby tree fell down and FLATTENED the neighbor's house. She began tearing at her hair from inside her house and screaming at the sight.

"…kid, why'd you say his name?" Mira groaned, covering her face and shaking her head.

"Because I wanted to do that funny thing from "Freakazoid" you ever watch "Freakazoid" and the main hero's saying "Well if it isn't" and they all say "NOOOO" and tell him not to say it and he says "You mean don't say Candlejack" and then the camp counselor is all "Freakazoid why did you say his name", I wanted to do something like that." Nick explained, gesticulating as he did so.

"…You're definitely Nick Grey…one of the ones we want. The "Belles of the Ball"." Buzz spoke up.

"Yes, that's him!" Another voice spoke up.

Now two more people descended from the ship. Wearing a special-looking helmet with tubes sticking out the back going to a strange sort of backpack he was wearing. It looked quite odd, this device…but odder still was this person. He had no gloves, and his skin color gave him away as a Caucasian, and the number of fingers and the build of his body gave him away as a human…but he wore a big black lab coat with a t-shirt on the front that read "When A Problem Comes Along, You Must Whip it! KA-CRACK! Whip it Good!" With a whip cracking right in front of the big exclamation "KA-CRACK" on the big blue shirt he wore underneath the jacket…

And he carried a whip on a tool belt he was wearing, a silver rose covering the top of it. Chops gulped at the sight of it.

Next to him was an experiment that had the basic design body of Stitch, but who was QUITE muscular. There was a silver earring in his right ear which twinkled brightly in the light of the day, and a red scar on his left eye. He had bat-like wings folded close to him, black fur and eyes that were a perfect shade of…

"Dark Blue, Dark Blue, have you ever been alone in a crowded room, when I'm…here with you…I said "the world could be burning and burning down"… Dark Blue, Dark Blue, have you ever been alone in a crowded room, when I'm…here with you… I said "the world could be burning 'till there's nothing but Dark Blue…"

"Okay, I get why the doctor's here, but what are you doing here?" Lilo asked the Space Rangers, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"We of Star Command believe that Leroy is a serious threat to the galaxy. Therefore it's our duty to stop him." Buzz went on.

"Well THAT'S a relief." Stitch said, sighing in relief.

"But we also feel that you, experiment 626, 619, 620 and 421 should come with us. You all belong in a safe environment where you can be taught to use your powers to make the galaxy a safer place."

"Hold up." White spoke up, stepping forward, his body glowing slightly pink. "I've read up on Star Command, I've STOLEN stuff from Star Command, I'm the reason none of you could find your ship keys for three weeks…"

"So THAT'S why there were all those stickers on the dashboard! See, I TOLD you the LGM'S didn't do it!" XR spoke up.

"You've been at this for YEARS. Yet the galaxy is just as screwed up as it's ever been." White snapped.

"Yeah, tell me why I should hand my partner over to Captain Chinface and the League of Those Who Can't DO?!?" Nick demanded.

"I'm afraid that this is NOT a negotiation." Buzz said, pointing a white-gloved finger at Nick. "You're NOT the legal guardians of these creatures who are ILLEGAL GENETIC MUTATIONS. They need structure and discipline, not to mention the kind of positive vision that helped us become who we are."

"No offense, Captain Chinface, but if you had any real VISION…" White spoke up. "You'd realize I just stole the plasma pistol from off your belt." He spoke up, grinning as he tossed Buzz's gun up and down.

"That's why laser gloves are standard issue for all Rangers." Buzz quipped right back, holding up his glove as a red light appeared at the top of it. "Along with THIS!"

He smirked and pressed a button on his wrist and suddenly the gun EXPLODED. White gasped and jumped back as Buzz called out. "RANGERS! TAKE THEM!"

"Lilo! Stitch! Me and Chops got Tom and Dr. Andrew!" Nick called out.

"Actually, it's WE who've got YOU." Dr. Andrew said, pointing at him dramatically. "But we're not fighting here, innocent people could be hurt. Let's take this somewhere else!"

"Fine by me!" Chops shouted. "I'm gonna cream you!"

"Yeah, we're gonna mash you up good 'n stuff!" Nick laughed. "Treat you to a good knuckle sandwich or two!"

"Sandwich, mash, cream, are you gonna FIGHT me or FEED me?" Tom sniggered as the twosomes ran off from the rest of the others to find a good place to fight while Crystallene and Yuuku faced down the large Booster.

"I don't like people making fun of Buzz…you'd better get that albino to apologize!" Booster demanded, pointing a finger at Yuuku.

"Hey, calm down! We're not the bad guys!" Yuuku insisted. "**REPENDO!**"

Instantly a glowing glass dome was erected around Booster and he bashed his fists against it. "RRR! RRR! What the heck is this thing MADE of?" He asked. "Fine, I'll just BLAST it down."

"No, wait-" Crystallene spoke up. "That's NOT a-"

He raised his plasma glove blaster and fire…and the shot rebounded, bouncing left and right, up and down. He flailed around, trying to dodge it, but ultimately it struck him on the butt…

"YEEEOOOOOWWWWHOOOHOOOHOOOOOOO!!!" He cried out, sailing clear through the shield and up into the sky as Yuuku and Crystallene blinked. Then he came back down with an enormous THUNKA-THUD and the shockwave knocked THEM on their butts. All of them groaned and rubbed their heads, getting back to their feet.

"How did you DO that?" Booster asked.

"How did YOU do THAT thing?" Crystallene wanted to know.

White, clenching his fists, faced down Mira.

"You're a Tangean, right? A ghost-person. You can phase through things. I don't suppose you're the Token Pacifist of the group? Because that would make this easier…I generally don't hit girls."

"Not exactly." Mira said, getting into a fighting pose. She quickly leapt up through the air and White ducked just in time to avoid her kicking his head, then he sidestepped to avoid another swift strike. "Pacifists are like vegans, I'm more of a "vegetarian"." She insisted, jumping on her hands and twirling her feet through the air, knocking White back a few steps. "I enjoy fish and the occasional ass-kickin'."

Meanwhile, Buzz was proving VERY tough as Heartwing, boosted by his "Totus-Insons Draco" spell, fought against him, swirling left and right through the air as Buzz blasted at him with his fancy laser glove.

"You know you could just surrender!" Buzz called out.

"We've got you outnumbered!" Lilo spoke up. "We'll-"

Suddenly a burning fireball shot out in front of her and she turned to see a sad-looking Kila looking into her eyes. "Look, Lilo, I'm sorry…" The female experiment said softly as XR held up a plasma pistol of his own, aiming it at Stitch. "But we hafta do what Star Command wants or…they won't trust me anymore. XR and I used to be great rangers. We were sent to Earth as part of the contest thanks to the LGM convincing Star Command we could bring peace to a violence-torn world…this is the only way to gain their trust back."

"Yeah, it's a tradition for Star Command to go to worlds in turbulence and to sort them out. And a tradition to win back trust by supporting our fellow rangers in combat." XR added. "Even though Buzz is too by-the-book…"

"Tradition? I got a few traditions for you…" Lilo said, holding up her book. "Stitch and I have always looked out for each other whenever there was real trouble."

"And Nick and the others have been your friends since they saved you from that freaky Shadow's plot. That's the ONLY traditions you should care about." Stitch added, frowning deeply at Kila.

Kila gave them a half angry, half sad look before she raised both paws up and XR's laser pistol surged with power.

…

…

…

…the wind blew through Nick's hair as he stood on an open plain, the grass swaying in the breeze as he held up the "Garden Green" book he carried. Dr. Andrew was carrying a dark blue book the same color as Tom's beautiful eyes as Tom did some push-ups off the ground, whilst Chopsuey got into a fighting position, bouncing back and forth on his feet.

"So tell me, Dr. Andrew…" Nick asked. "When you go to Purgatory for lying to Star Command, trying to kill the good guys and creating sick monsters like the Deathly Trio, do you think you could say hi to Void? I heard he got run over by a truck."

"I'm surprised you think I won't go to Hell." Dr. Andrew remarked nonchalantly.

"What can I say?" Nick said, shrugging. "I believe in forgiving and forgetting. In fact, once we've creamed you, you'll probably become a good friend."

"Well, anything can happen!" Dr. Andrew laughed. "You know, your little friend Lilo's very spirited…I sort of wanted to fight HER…but I suppose I can do that after I've defeated you."

"Save that for when you've actually beaten us!" Chops spoke up as Tom got into his own fighting stance.

"Doctor, start things off with a bang!" Tom asked his "dad".

"Right then! HORRYAH-NAE!" Dr. Andrew read out. With a swirling of black and light blue light, Tom's body was bathed in the glow and he clenched and unclenched his clawed paws, rushing forward.

"This attack raises my strength and defense!" Tom called out. "You'd better counter with…"

**"IMPERIUM!" **Nick yelled. A rainbow aura surrounded Chopsuey as his body grew slightly bigger along with his claws and muscles. He rushed forward and he and Tom began to trade blows, slicing and slashing left and right.

"Ha-ha! You're…ERGH! Not…BAD!" Tom shouted out in between punches and kicks.

"You're…pretty…tough too!" Chops agreed, twirling his body to dodge an attack and then swinging his fists. "But…you're not…"

SCHA-SLAM!

A good punch to the stomach sent Tom flying back and he groaned, then re-righted himself in midair, placing one paw on the ground as he landed.

"You're not fast enough!" Chops spoke up.

"Well the spell DOES decrease my stamina." Tom admitted. "Perhaps a new tack?"

**"MURIBATATI**!" Dr. Andrew read from the book. Tom held up his paws and flexed his claws as he summoned sharp and long-looking daggers made of a shadowy aura that dripped off of his paws like ooze. Chops's eyes widened as he flung them through the air and he barely dodged…

SCLUCK! Unfortunately one of them struck his right cheek and he howled, yanking it out. "JESUS H. CHRIST!!!" he roared out. "That friggin' STINGS!!!"

Tom held up his paws again as more daggers appeared. "Oh please try and calm down!" He insisted. "At least it only hit your cheek!"

"**CREDERE POSTHAC!**"

Chopsuey held up his palms and a beautiful rainbow aura surrounded them, swirling around as he extended his extra arms. Enormous cannons and missile launchers appeared on his persons, and his maw opened up. Then and there, small beams of light began to converge at a single point in front of his maw, forming a large, glowing white orb…

"I keep forgetting…you don't bring a knife to GUN FIGHT!" Dr. Andrew wisecracked.

KA-CHIK! CHUDDA-CHUDDA-CHUDDA! The cannons unloaded their cartridges!

KAWHOOSH! The missile launchers raced through the air!

THA-SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The brilliant ball of light soared through the air and Tom quickly grabbed ahold of Dr. Andrew, leaping through the air and protecting the doctor with his body as the attack set off a large explosion. Tom gasped in pain as his back was seared and the twosome fell to the ground, groaning as they got back up.

"He protected his book keeper…he has honor." Nick spoke up.

"And I also…have a neat little spell…" Tom gasped as he took in deep breaths.

"**KOO-IA**!" Dr. Andrew read out as Tom's body was bathed in bright blue energy and the burns on his back healed. Chops groaned.

"He can HEAL!?" He gasped out.

"Yes, the spell restores some energy and health." Tom said, nodding his head. "My dad's so SMART. But that move is not nearly as neat as THIS spell!"

"**KAR-JAYA**!" Dr. Andrew read out, sweeping his hand melodramatically and posing. Tom let loose a long breath and a strange black cloud covered the plains as Nick coughed madly.

"A cloaking spell!?" He gasped out. "Chops!"

"OOOGGGHHH!" Chops gasped out as a harsh kick sent him flying into Nick, and the two collapsed on the ground. "I don't suppose you have a plan?" He gagged out, looking up at Nick…

Nick touched his nose and mouthed the words "Nose goes". Chopsuey grinned and stood back up, closing his eyes and breathing silently as he sniffed the air…

THERE! He rushed forward and his fist found Tom's, and the two knocked each other back through the air as the cloud of black smoke dissipated.

**"MURIBATATI**!"

SCHA-LUNK!

"AAA! MY OTHER CHEEK!" Chops yelled out, pulling ANOTHER dagger out of his cheek. "STOP THROWING THAT STUFF!!!" He demanded.

"You're right. He'll throw new stuff!" Dr. Andrew spoke up. "**KOO'INA MARAJAK**!" He roared out.

Tom leapt up into the air, flying up on his bat-like wings as they spread wide. He began to form a bunch of shiny blue dots that rushed above his head, slowly forming into a LARGE, spiked ball made of icicles and Nick realized the danger.

"Oh CRAP IN A HAT!" He gasped out. "Chops, quick…"

Tom looked up at his ball of power as it got bigger and bigger…finally it was BULGING and he looked back down to see Nick summon forth a burst of power. He pointed down with both paws and the icy ball over his head shot out icicle-shaped missiles EVERYWHERE within a fifteen mile radius! They soared down from the sky like rockets, breaking up the land around our heroes and sending icy winds flying left and right.

As the Earth shook from the impact of icicle strike after icicle strike, eventually it all stopped and Tom flapped back down to Earth, looking the damage over. The plains had been turned into a PINCUSHION of brown and green earth that was crunched and scrunched up left and right. Nick and Chopsuey had used the "Adversor" spell by getting Chops to quickly dig a hole, then had erected the shield above their head like a bomb shelter…but they'd still been badly hurt from the shockwaves that had resulted.

Nick and Chops were now panting as they got back up, some blood dripping from Nick's hands and Chops's head. "C'mon…we…can still win…this." Nick insisted.

"I think perhaps…we should end this quickly." Tom suggested.

"Good idea!" Dr. Andrew said. "**HAJAKI'NARHAJ**!"

Tom's body surged with power and Nick quickly flipped his book open. "**ADVERSOR**!" He shouted.

Tom spread his paws out to the sides as an crescent-shaped blaze of black energy swept through the air towards them from his torso…it could cut through them like butter! But luckily…

"**PERCUTIO!**"

By shooting "Percutio" into the shield spell, the black beam struck against the shield and bounced back, rushing towards Tom…

SCHUDDA-BOOOOOM!

Tom fell to the ground, his sides split in pain as blood oozed out. He gasped heavily as he hit the ground and Dr. Andrew quickly held the book back up.

"**HYA-UI**!" He read quickly. Instantly a warm light bathed over Tom and his breathing became normal as he stood back up, his wounds healing before their eyes. "You see, THAT spell restores a LOT of health to my son." Dr. Andrew spoke up.

"Why aren't you fighting AGAINST Kaiser instead of working FOR him?" Nick shouted out.

"You have all that power but no pride?" Chops insisted.

"**TAE-JUH!**" Dr. Andrew read out angrily. Nick and Chops barely jumped away as an icy ring popped up beneath their feet, and icicles shot out into the sky, almost piercing them. "Shut up!" He roared back. "I know perfectly well what Kaiser intends to do and it's utterly disgusting! An insult to honor everywhere!"

"What you did to YOURSELF is pretty disgusting too…and what you've done to US is too!" Nick shouted, rushing forward as Chops rushed at Tom. Nick flung a fist and Dr. Andrew stepped backwards as Nick kept racing forward, swinging punch after punch. "You sent bounty hunters and your own creations after us and all so you could save your own skin from Kaiser! Don't you know the kind of person he IS?!"

"Simply put, he is a thug and a bully." Dr. Andrew said, pulling out his whip and swinging the bright red laser whip through the air. Nick swept to the side as Chops and Tom continued to trade blows.

"That's an UNDERSTATEMENT!" Nick yelled out. "Do you have ANY IDEA how much suffering he's caused me and my _ohana_?! How much more suffering he wants to do?"

"I know what you're tryin' to do, but it ain't gonna work!" Dr. Andrew roared out, slicing down with his whip, catching Nick across the leg. Nick gasped in pain as he hobbled back and Dr. Andrew waved a finger in the air. "I have to ensure the safety of my children! Once Kaiser's vulnerable I'll put my genius brain to use and slay him!"

"You keep talking about honor and being smart and stuff, but you don't seem to understand the difference between "good and evil", doctor. THAT'S not smart!" Nick hissed, getting back into a fighting stance, though he was shaking slightly.

"Good. Evil. Points of view." Tom insisted as he leapt by his book keeper.

"That used to be MY point of view!" Chops yelled out as he ran to Nick's side. "But there's something that comes with believing in good and evil…spirit." He insisted. "A true HEART."

"I don't LIKE fighting people who have some good in them. But I have the heart to keep on fighting to right wrongs." Nick insisted.

"You're MAD if you think you can beat Kaiser…even WITH your friends helping you! You're just not strong enough! You can't even beat US!" Dr. Andrew insisted, shaking his head.

"Who KNOWS where madness lies? Beliving in fairytales might be madness, too much SANITY might be madness! But MADDEST of all…is seeing life as it IS and not how it SHOULD be. I see how it should be…how it CAN be…and I will beat Kaiser…"

Nick clenched his fist and looked up into the sky. "And when it's all over, this will become a world with hope and laughter n it's future once again. And if somebody else tries to threaten that future, we'll beat HIM too."

"…you've got a lot of skill." Dr. Andrew said softly. "But in a battle there's no use for HEART!" He yelled out, holding up the book.

"You're dead wrong! It couldn't be more IMPORTANT!" Nick insisted. "People have to have a good reason to fight, and your reason just isn't good enough!"

"**YARH'JHAI**!" Dr. Andrew read out as Tom rose up in the air, forming a swirling mass of black shadow that was circling around, becoming a shadowy ball. Black spots were rushing around it as red lightning split the sky above and Chops got into a fighting pose.

"Chops…I got an idea…" Nick said. "When I use "Percutio"…aim at me." He insisted.

Chops blinked in surprise, then nodded. Nick flipped the book open again and read the spell off quickly and the metallic ball of Percutio sank into Nick's body.

"HWAAAAHHH!!!" Tom roared out as he leapt through the air, flipping over the shadowy ball and slamming it towards Nick and Chops, and it began to tear through the air, screaming like a banshee as it soared at them, blazing with a harsh black light.

Nick rushed at Tom and Dr. Andrew, holding his book to the side as he clenched his fist. "Your family matters to you, doctor? Well so does mine...but EVERYONE IS MY FAMILY!" He roared out. "CHOPS, NOW! **KIMAIRA!!!**"

Nick leapt up through the air as Chops spread his arms out and summoned forth the aura beast, and it shot through Nick's body, roaring mightily with it's fangs and claws extended to their fullest. The anagram being slammed against the shadowy ball and an ENORMOUS explosion resulted that encased Kimaira and the Yarh'jhai spell, sending white and black light shining everywhere, casting rays left and right…

Tom fell back down to Earth, the shockwave knocking him down, but he gaped as he saw Nick above him, fist held high…

SCHUDDA-BAM!!!!

With an enormous punch, he struck Tom across the face as Kimaira let out a mighty roar, appearing in the air above for a moment before vanishing into gold dust that rained down. Nick landed back on the ground, panting as he slowly got back up from his knees, seeing Tom was unconscious and covered in some licks of flame…

AND he'd landed on top of Dr. Leafgreen, who groaned and held his head.

"You LOST." Chopsuey said, approaching Dr. Leafgreen as he looked down at his now-burning book. Tom quickly patted off the flames on Tom's body and sighed as the book turned into nothingness and Tom groaned, getting back on his feet. "But you didn't lose to ME." He added. "Today…it was all my partner." He added, jabbing his thumb at Nick, who had passed out, a stupid-looking smile on his face.

…

…

…

… "They're STILL going at it?" Nick mumbled out as Chops, Dr. Andrew and Tom looked the battle scene over. Star Command was still giving it their all against our heroes, and most of our protagonists were having a VERY tough time. Apparently the armored suits the Space Rangers wore were VERY protective!

"Woah, you can fly?" Booster asked as Frequency soared up over his head, distracting him from attacking Yuuku and Crystallene.

"No man…jump good!" Frequency laughed, coming down and…

Bouncing clear off his fat, jiggly body and embedding his body in a tree. "OW!"

"Uh…have you been SMOKING?" Yuuku asked, plugging her nose.

"I'm not HIGH." Frequency groaned out.

"OW!" White held his cheek. "You didn't have to hit me THAT hard. All I asked for was your phone number!"

"I don't date creeps!" Mira snapped.

Meanwhile, a "Ryo-Diaruk'd" Stitch was trying to keep Kila down, but she was using her fiery powers to burn into his palm. Nevertheless he kept pushing as hard as he could while XR shakingly aimed his pistol at Lilo.

"What, you're gonna shoot me?" Lilo asked. "A kid?"

"It wouldn't be the first time." XR spoke up.

"Yes it would, you liar. I can see it in your optic sensors." Lilo insisted.

"Well…I…I don't…" XR nervously gulped. "I just don't want to lose my team's confidence…"

"STOP IT, CHILDREN." A voice spoke up.

Everyone turned their heads at the sight of another experiment who was situated at the top of a tree. He looked a lot like Sample, though he had light blue fur but smaller ears, a red nose, and heterochromia…one eye was green, the other blue. There were diamonds embedded in both paws and on his chest…

"Spirilise!" Orion spoke up, eyes widening. "Dr. PL!"

"?!" Buzz gasped out. "Uh, sir…"

"I said STOP IT CHILDREN. And I was directing it at BOTH sides of this inane little fight." A knowledgeable, friendly voice spoke out from the newcomer's voice as it opened his mouth up. It then closed it, took a breath, and spoke in another voice, one more high-pitched and obviously different. "Dr. PL and I both think you guys gotta stop this dumb fightin'. The real enemy's Kaiser. And Buzz, since Dr. PL's the temporary leader of Star Command with Commander Nebula being in that coma, you gotta listen to him."

"Wait…is the doctor sharing that thing's body?" White asked. "Innnteresting."

Buzz held one gloved hand over his eyes. "Spirilise, Doctor, these experiments are IMPORTANT…"

"TECHNICALLY…" Dr. PL grinned, using his "son" to speak for him. "Kila and XR should not have to be doing this at all. They were sent here to deal with a large threat to a world's security. And right now there still IS a large threat to this world's security. Therefore, I feel that what happens to these experiments is under THEIR jurisdiction, since THEY were assigned to this planet and not you, Buzz. Rules are rules." He added, nodding his head as he jumped down and walked over to the others. "Kila, XR, you'll keep an eye on these genetic experiments and their partners. Dr. Leafgreen, you and your experiments should aid in fixing up any trouble you might have caused here…"

"Community service, eh?" Buzz asked. "Actually, that's not a bad idea." He smiled. "The same thing goes for you, Sue, Frequency, Ruin, Orion-where's your friend?"

"We haven't seen Darth in weeks." Sue said, shrugging.

"Well all of you are going to assist Dr. Leafgreen and his creations." Buzz said.

"Orion and I have some catching up to do. I haven't written to you in AGES." Dr. PL said through Spirilise. "And…"

Spirilise hugged Orion tightly. "This is from BOTH of us." Orion's "brother" said.

"Well then…I guess it's time to say "Hasta La Freakin' Vista"?" White asked.

"Well, actually, we do have a day or so before we hafta head back." Kila spoke up. "How about…a luau?"

…

…

…

… "How low can you go? How low can you go? Say it Mira, how low can you go?"

"Hey, you ghosted your hair through the pole!"

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you diiiid!"

"Thanks for fronting the bill for this, Darth." Sue said as she clinked glasses with him.

"Oh, actually my brother Skoodge is." Darth said, jabbing his thumb to the right as a fat, slightly-smelly Irken easily walked underneath XR's arms, which they were using in lieu of a limbo stick. He smiled, grinning broadly. "I'm glad to see him again."

"So THAT'S why you were so anxious to come to Earth." Sue realized.

"Hey guys, lookit!" White laughed, spinning tiki torches around at rapid speeds. "No hands!"

"I'll have somma whatever YOU'RE smoking, dudus of moodus." Frequency laughed, clinking poi glasses with Dude as Heartwing slobbered away into a bowl of punch.

"So…um…" Nick rubbed the back of his neck as he and Lilo sat in chairs, the stars twinkling over their heads. "In one week…we gotta go beat him." He said quietly. "This might be the last time we all get to really have fun."

"Yeah." Lilo said quietly. "You know…no matter what happens…I'm glad I got to meet you. You're a really nice person."

"I feel the same way." Nick admitted. "I wish we coulda met sooner." He added quietly. "My life woulda been a LOT different."

"Oooooohhh…" Heartwing staggered back, holding onto his little head. Stitch took a small sniff of the punch and his head shot up.

"Okay, somebody spiked the wrong punch!" He yelled out. "WHIIIITE!"

"Don't look at ME!" White yelled back. "It wasn't my work! Somebody poured the little guy stuff from the wrong bowl!"

Heartwing kept walking into a tree, making White snigger. Buzz shook his head. "That's just SAD..."

"Not my fault." White insisted.

"Yes it is! You're the one who put enough rum in the punch to make **JACK SPARROW'S** head spin!!!" Kila snapped, her cheeks visibly blushing as she raised a cup up and swirled it around in the air.

"Want I should get you more punch?" Grey asked Ewa Lani, who blushed nervously.

"Lemme get the camera!" Pleakley called out. "Who's got my camera? This will all make FABULOUS memories for the scrapbook I'm putting together!"

One by one, everyone got close together as Pleakley set the tripod up. "Okay, on the count of three everyone say cheese! One…two…three…"

"GORGONZOLA!"

"MOZZARELLA!"

"CHEDDAR!"

"AMERICAN!"

"COTTAGE!"

"GOUDA!"

"FETA!"

"CAMEMBERT!"

"…silly-heads."


	75. Begin the Ultimate Showdown!

**CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE**

**究極のショーを開始！**

**Begin the Ultimate Showdown!**

**---------------------------------------- **

"To all who this may concern…" Grey read off to all of the sent-back experiments at the lab. "It's been five months. The ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny has arrived!"

"We're all going to be giving it our all so that we can save the experiments and our world from a creature straight out of a nightmare." White read to the book keepers who's partners had been sent back. THEY were all at Kokaua Town, waiting.

"It's going to be the toughest fight we've ever endured so far, but we've got to fight all the same. Too many people are counting on us. We CAN'T lose and we WON'T." Lilo insisted.

"All of our efforts have been leading up to this." Grey read.

"And we hope your prayers are with us." White read off.

"In case we don't make it back…I want you to know…it's been a real adventure and I wouldn't change a single thing we did together." Chops told Nick.

Where WERE our protagonists? On a plane that was headed off of Kauai to one of the small, currently-deserted Marshall Islands. Pleakley at the helm, he gave them all a thumbs up. "Hope you're all hangin' onto your underwear!" He announced. "Because this could be a bumpy ride."

ON SAID ISLAND…

Kaiser was now wearing a pope's triegnum, or papal tiara. He had a long, ornate robe on his body, many MORE rings on his clawed fingers, a fine-looking black jumpsuit outfit to go with the robe AND all of his wounds had healed. In fact, he looked more buff than he had before! Yep, he was pimpin'.

"So Lillith, what do you say?" He asked his partner, who was lying on a floating futon next to him as they looked at the island on a cliff by their "main lair". "I'm thinkin' we use that Japanese artifact, what do you say?"

"…does it mean you'll do that thing from LOZ?"

"…yes, I'll do the thin from LOZ." Kaiser grumbled.

"Okay." Lillith held up a chest and put it on the ground next to Kaiser.

BGM: Chest-opening music from Legend of Zelda

Kaiser opened the chest up as light shone from inside. He fumbled around within, and then…

**SFX: BA-BA-BA-BAAAAAH!**

Held up an enormous skull that was definitely draconian in appearance. He grinned to himself. "Actually, doing that's pretty fun. Now then…"

He blew into it like a horn. THWOOOOOO!

…

…

…

… "Uh, guys, problem." Pleakley announced. "BIG problem!" he shouted. "VERY BIG!"

He pointed at the radar screen they had. There, broadcasted as a big, long blip, was something coming their way…

"I KNEW he'd try something like this." Lilo said.

"Don't worry, dudes and dudettes. We're about to get totally righteous on him, man." Dude said, standing up, his long hair now tied into a ponytail, and tinted blue sunglasses on his face. Heartwing nodded, and turned to Pleakley, giving a solemn nod.

"Okay, get to the airlock, quick!" Pleakley shouted.

The hippie and the Heartwing opened up the airlock door and Dude cast his spell.

"**EX LUCE MISERICORDIA!**"

A heavenly choir sounded as Dude mounted his draconic steed and the airlock opened. Heartwing shot out into the air, spiraling around to face the beast that was coming right towards the plane.

It was an ENORMOUS, serpentine dragon, an "Eastern" type with long whiskers, cat-like eyes and four-taloned, clawed hands. It had the horns of a reindeer, a red body, and a golden mane. It's dark scales glistened in the light, letting off a dark purple glow in the blue sky, and it let out a nasty roar as it shot towards the plane, attempting to swallow our protagonist's plane whole.

"Not-so-FAST!" Dude yelled out.

The creepy-looking wyrm looked up angrily and saw a speck rushing towards him. It's burning yellow eyes widened at the sight of what was coming right at him…a human was riding atop an emerald dragon that was three times his size, with three sets of beautiful, angelic wings. A halo surrounded Heartwing's head, and his body was aglow with light. His heart insignia was flashing a thousand different colors and his muscles had grown in size. His eyes had brilliant Polaris stars shining in them, and he let out a large cry.

"Taste the pain, Mr. Glowy-Ugly-Thing!"

BUDDA-BAM! A good punch to it's head made the serpentine dragon reel back and everyone watched as Heartwing raced around to it's back, putting it in a headlock.

"And now…TAKE THIS!" He yelled out.

CHA-CHOMP!

"YEEEOOOOWWWW!!!" The dragon cried out, soaring up through the air in pain while Heartwing crossed his chest and waited for it come back down, tapping his foot on an imaginary floor as his wings beat over and over. Five…four…three…two…one…

WOOOP! The other dragon came back down, rubbing it's now sore-neck. "That was UTTERLY infantile!" He snapped. "Little stripling, I'll strip the flesh from your-" Heartwing grabbed his tail. "YAH!!!"

"Yeah, this is what happens when you're one-third tail and you don't stop it from curling so much." Heartwing informed him. He then yanked UP and twirled him around and around.

"Alright…now…ROCK AND ROOOOLLLL!!!" Dude roared out.

Heartwing leapt up through the sky with a mighty cry and SLAMMED the dragon down into the ocean below, sending up fifty-foot waves in all directions. But he wasn't finished yet. Heartwing raised his claws up, extending them fully as a white orb formed in his palms, with smaller points of light swirling around the white orb. It began to glow beautifully like a star, and then he thrust both palms down, his wings spreading out wide. "HEADS UP!" he called out.

The serpentine dragon rubbed it's sore head and looked up just in time to see the white orb sailing down at him…

SHUDDA-FA-BOOOOOOOM! A clear white explosion rocked it's head as white light shot out from it's body, making it quiver and squirm…and then it EXPLODED into thick red goo, which sailed through the air.

"We did it, we did it, we did it!" Heartwing sang. He carefully lifted Dude off his back and hugged him. "I feel pretty! Oh so pretty!"

"Uh…I don't think it's dead yet, little dude." Dude said, pointing down at the goo. Sure enough, the goo was turning BLACK, and coming back together before their eyes. In a matter of moments it had molded back into the serpentine dragon, only now he had black scales and dark purple slits for eyes. Snarling angrily, the thing opened up it's jaws and unleashed a large bolt of black lightning at them, which they BARELY dodged in time.

"Come on, we gotta move them away from the plane!" Dude insisted, getting back atop of Heartwing, who soared through the air, swooping left and right, up and down as the other dragon kept chasing after them. Unfortunately it kept shooting the black lightning at them over and over…

"We need to take it down for good!" Dude shouted.

"You mean make him go all to pieces 'n stuff?" Heartwing asked. "Gee, I'd feel bad about that, he IS a dragon like me and-"

BRRRZAAAAP!

"YEEEOOOWWWWW!!!" Heartwing yelped as his butt was zapped. "You big BULLY!" He snapped, turning rapidly around. "I'M GONNA SMASH YOU UP GOOOOOOD!"

SHA-THWAAAAAM!

He hit the thing head on…and it SHATTERED apart, pieces of it's body flying left and right. Heartwing grinned as the head separated, both top and bottom…

And then the eyes of the serpentine dragon, which HAD been dead for a moment, jolted back to life and came down on Heartwing, trapping him.

"AAAA!!!" Heartwing cried out, keeping Dude close to his chest as the thing chewed on his wings and back. "It hurts…it HUUUURTS!" He screamed, eyes filling with tears.

Kaiser, from far away, laughed sadistically. "I can control the head even if it's in PIECES!" He laughed to himself, sensing the emerald dragon's pain. "I may get some pleasure out of this yet…"

"Dude…I'm…I'm…" Heartwing began. "I hurt so much…" He whimpered softly. "But I'm…I'm stronger than I was before…the stuff I've done…it meant something, didn't it?"

"Yeah…it did. It ALWAYS did." Dude said gently as Heartwing raised him to look him in the eyes. "Don't give up, we'll get out of this somehow…"

"**PERCUTIO! IADEO-IEDO!**"

SCHA-THROOOOOM!

The dragon's skull exploded into tiny chunks and Heartwing gasped at the sight of…

Nick and Chopsuey, falling down towards them, arms stretched out. "It reduces the wind velocity! Hey, can a brother get a catch in the arms?"

TWHOMP!

Yes. They could. Kaiser, meanwhile, jumped up and down furiously. "DAMN THEM!" he snarled. "I'm going to have to try a different tactic…"

**BGM: Chest-opening music from Legend of Zelda**

Kaiser went back to the chest as light shone from inside. He fumbled around inside it once more, and then…

**SFX: BA-BA-BA-BAAAAAH!**

He drew out a very large remote control, holding it above his head. "You know I could do this all day!"

"You probably WILL be doing it all day!" Lillith sniggered. Kaiser frowned and rolled his eyes as he pressed the remote control…

What did that remote control do, I hear you cry? Well the thing was…Kaiser had set up GUNS around the island. Enormous ones…all situated at the front at a large mechanical station with long shafts rising up into the sky, painted steely grey and with pictures of half-naked women on the side, the words "Bomb 'em for me, boys" sprayed across her body…in fact, "Bomb" began right on her chest balloons.

The largest shaft gathered red points of light above it as Kaiser pressed a red button. Charging…charging…

PING! A little machine that went "ping" which was attached to the remote told him that the main cannon was ready. "I'M-A-FIRIN' MAH LAZAR, BWAAAAA!!!" Kaiser laughed, pressing a very SHINY red button that was right below the dark red button above.

SCHOOOP-DA-WHOOOOOOOP! A shockwave rippled through the air as a surge of red plasma sailed up through the sky, aiming towards our heroes. Yuuku held her book up as the pink thing glowed brightly. "Here it comes!" She hollered. "**THE SEVENTH SPELL…TAM ENIXE DEFENDERE!**"

PAWHOOOOM! Crystallene spread her arms forward, and in the air they appeared…Kila, Sketch, Bonnie, Carmen, Precious, all of them holding up paws and hands, their bodies shining with a golden glow. Beautiful light soared through the air and the attack that had been rushing towards our heroes was OBLITERATED!

"YES!" Yuuku cheered. "It's been Her-adicated! Dec-she-mated!"

"The threat's been ended e-fem-tive immediately?" Nick offered.

"Uh, Nick, no offense…" Pleakley's voice spoke up. "But it's not quite the same. You play for the other team, remember? You don't really count, it would be like a Klansman shouting "KEEP HOPE ALIVE!!!"."

"Feministas unite!" Crystallene laughed happily, hugging onto Yuuku.

Lillith raised her fists. "Feministas-"

"Lillith, if you wish to KEEP your arms, you will lower them. NOW."

BEEEOOOOOOOOP. Down they went. Kaiser pressed an orange button on the side of the remote. "Let's see how they like a dose of THIS!" He laughed.

SCHUDDA-SCHUDDA-SCHUDDA!!! Four other large cannons sprung up alongside the main cannon, as all of them fired off blasts through the air!

Crystallene and the others saw the blast coming, but Crystallene was ready. Going to the center of the plane, an elevator lifted her to the top, with holds keeping her steady, ensuring she wouldn't be blown off.

"Here we go, girls! They're coming from two directions now!" Crystallene laughed, holding up her paws.

BA-BAM! Sketch beat the first blast to the right.

SCHA-BAM-BAM! Kila and Bonnie knocked the second and third ones into the ocean.

THA-BAM! Carmen kicked the next blast up into the sky, making it dissipate…

WA-BAM! And Precious knocked the last blast to the left with a quick backhand and a big smirk. Crystallene grinned…

Yuuku, however, was worried. "The book…" She said. "I can feel what Crystallene's feeling…" She murmured. "We're not just getting tired when it comes to heart energy…"

She exposed her arm. Cuts were appearing all over. "The spell is taking a toll on our BODIES as well…I don't honestly know how much more we can take of his assault…" Then she sighed. "I can't talk like that. We'll just have to keep it up…"

Crystallene, who had cuts all over her arms AND legs from using the spell, grit her teeth as she punched the air in front of her. "C'mon you stupid jerk! Hit me with your best shot!" She laughed.

"FIRE AWAAAAAY!!!" Kaiser roared out hatefully.

The ENTIRE STATION soared up through the air, changing and forming into an enormous missile, it's boosters bulging as it aimed for our hero's plane, red streaks of lightning buzzing around it. Once it hit the plane…they'd be vaporized on the spot.

"I've got this…" Crystallene growled. "Okay girls, focus into my body!" She told the spells' manifestations of the girl experiment's spirits.

One by one they nodded, becoming beams of light that shot into Crystallene, making light pour out of her eyes, nose and mouth. Then she returned to normal, save for that she had a beautiful pink aura around her that grew out…forming a lovely mosaic cape of crystals that wrapped around her body, making Crystallene crystalline.

She smiled and turned down to the plane, looking through a window at the top, giving them a thumbs up. The holds on her feet let go as everyone crossed their fingers inside. Crystallene raced through the air on a shaft of white/pink light, heading towards the approaching missile…

Yuuku smiled happily as she watched her partner race towards the missile. She'd become so strong and dedicated to her friends…

She couldn't have asked for a better friend or partner. She was just sorry to see her go…

Crystallene held one fist up, grinning as she raced towards the missile.

"_Okay, Page. They're all here. Fire…at will…"_

"I've accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior!"

_Eyes bugged out. Heads turned quickly around. _

_What the EICH-EE-DOUBLE-HOCKEY STICKS?! CHRISTIANITY?!_

_An experiment couldn't…RELIGION? That was just…_

_But Crystallene had taken it in stride pretty well, actually. She'd taken a lot of things about Page in stride. _

_In fact…she'd actually realized a little something about him…and about her. _

_He had told her that he had changed. He had changed from being a tool of destruction because ultimately, a person is what they CHOOSE to be. _

_You are what you choose to be…_

"Superman…" Crystallene laughed softly as her fist met the missile.

SCHAAAA-THWAAAAAAM!!!

…

…

…

… "Crystallene…CRYSTALLENE…" Chops whispered softly as he held her vanishing paw on the island that they'd finally reached.

Crystallene opened her eyes and saw them all gathered around her, crying. She blinked a few times. "Guys, c'mon…why are you crying?" She asked gently. "Ya made it. We're here." She grinned. "That's good enough for me. Besides there's…somebody back at the lab I need to say hi to…"

Yuuku covered her face and wept, sinking to her knees before finally burying her face in Crystallene's chest. "I'm gonna miss you so muuuuuch…" She sobbed.

"I'm gonna miss you too…but we're BFF's, remember?" Crystallene laughed gently, pointing to the friendship necklace around Yuuku's neck. "I'm not really going to leave you. And…"

She began to vanish into pink points of light, which were sailing up into the air. "I think it's my time." She sighed. "There's nothing left I have to teach you, girlfriend. You just remember everything I taught you and you're gonna be fine."

She blinked. "Wait…where's…where have Lilo and Stitch gone to?"

"They were so angry with what Kaiser did they took off already…" Nick said as experiment 618 began to return to the lab. "Which means…we gotta go after them!"

…

…

…

…Kaiser looked Lilo and Stitch over as they approached him on the plain he now stood on. He turned to Lillith, nodding slightly, then faced them again, spreading out his arms. "Ah, you came! I was actually hoping I'd face you first. I know Nick loves you quite dearly, and when I show off your naked, battered, half-dead body, he'll get PTSD on the spot."

"You…are a sick mother." Lilo said angrily.

"We've met some pretty bad men before, but you…you just…" Stitch shook his head. "You take the cake. You really do."

"I'm HATRED, what did you expect if not a very large performance of how powerful I truly am?" Kaiser laughed. "But you know perfectly well how this is going to end-"

Lilo flipped her blue book open, a triumphant look in her eyes. **"RYO-DIARUK!"**

SCHA-THOOOOM! Rainbow light covered Stitch's body as Kaiser grinned. "Seen it all before. And now I'm gonna wipe the floor…with YOU! What do you think of that?"

TWHOOOSH!

Stitch was RIGHT IN HIS FACE. "You talk too much." Stitch snapped.

BA-BAAAAAM! He punched Kaiser through the air and Lillith gasped in horror as Stitch raced towards Kaiser, who skidded along the ground, then tried to re-right himself, only to have Stitch grab his cape…

"Yeah, this is the BAD PART about having a cape." Stitch admitted, tugging hard on it and pulling Kaiser to him, punching his face over and over. Pain shot through the experiment's face as he was struck again and AGAIN and AGAIN…

SCHA-THWAM! Kaiser suddenly caught the fist and glared into his eyes. "Masks off, then…" He whispered, some blood dripping from the side of his mouth. "No interruptions…"

…

…

…

…Chopsuey and Nick rode atop Heartwing, who soared through the air, wings spread out wide.

"Do you remember when we first met?" Heartwing asked quietly as his body glowed white. "It was back when I couldn't speak Basic. Back when I was a scared little dragon who didn't have a partner. I hated fighting. I hated hurting people. I was even really loathe to the idea of thinking bad THOUGHTS about others, even if they were evil. So I wanted you to burn my book."

"I remember." Chops said, nodding. "You were so frightened of fighting."

"But I've realized that even if I don't like fighting, there are people who must be fought. For the sake of others who are in danger, for good people's protection, I have to be willing to fight." The emerald dragon went on. "You know…I think you're a swell bunch of guys…"

He smiled, some tears slipping out of the corner of his eyes. "I really hope we meet again…" He added quietly. "Because you guys are some of the nicest people I've ever met. I'm honored to have been able to carry you around…to have you fly alongside me. All of you."

He then came to a stop and let them off. "They're over that hill. I got you in time…I hope." He turned his head as his body began to slowly vanish. "Thanks again…for being a swell friend. And…give Dude a hug for me…"

He laughed softly. "And tell him he uses too much herbal soap! When I wake up in the morning his hair always smells too strongly of cloves and stuff!"

With that, experiment 421 was gone. Nick and Chopsuey stood there for a few moments, utterly quiet out of respect for their little buddy, and then they headed over the hill.

Meanwhile, Stitch wasn't doing too well. Kaiser had gotten the upper hand and had slammed him into the ground. He then threw him up into the air and soared upward, cape fluttering as he punched Stitch right back down into the ground, then he reached for his throat…

But Stitch quickly jumped to the side, landing deftly and doing a twisting kick that knocked Kaiser back a few feet, making him growl. He thrust one paw out and it glowed brightly as he laughed. "I can now launch energy waves on my lonesome now…impressive, isn't it?"

SCHA-BOOOOM! A swirling mass of blue/black energy soared over Stitch's head as the blue experiment rolled to the side…and then heard Kaiser was right behind him. "I've gotcha now-"

THOMP! Stitch grabbed his arm and threw him over his head, getting into a fighting stance. "You haven't GOT ME…and you never will!" He roared out.

"It doesn't really matter to much whether you can match my strength, because quite frankly, Lillith has so many drugs in her system and is so hopped up in her head that she thinks every moment out here is a moment when she's meeting God." Kaiser told them in a matter-of-fact way, waving his hand dismissively. "Now then…I'm going to-"

"HEY THERE, HI THERE, HO THERE!"

They all turned their heads to see Nick and Chopsuey standing on the hill. Nick was wearing a green t-shirt, white/grey "New Balance" sneakers and a blue vest whilst his mood necklace rested on his chest. Chopsuey's hair blew back slightly in the wind as he looked at Stitch.

"How you been holdin' up, brother?" He asked Stitch.

"We've been doin' alright." Stitch said, nodding.

"We're glad to see you, though." Lilo admitted, smiling happily as she brushed her hair back slightly with one hand.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world!" Nick laughed.

"You are INCREDIBLY annoying." Kaiser announced, raising one paw up. "Lillith? Let's blow them to pieces-"

"**FISTEN!**"

"**IADEO-IEDO!**"

Two fist-shaped blasts of energy soared at him and he backflipped through the air, only to come into contact with Stitch, who swung his fist at him. The hateful experiment caught the fist, but then CHOPSUEY leapt at him, feet first. Dropping to the ground, Kaiser rolled away and took up a fighting position, raising both paws and smirking.

**"GIGANO PUNCHITO!"** Lilo yelled out, as Stitch's fists glowed even more brightly and he swung them, sending the surging blue blasts at Kaiser.

"**LIBIDONIS!**" Lillith read out.

SHA-FWOOOM!

Skimpy one piece, long black hair, blood red eyes and ruby red lips…the sickening embodiment of lust appeared, tearing off her one piece to suck up the attack within the portal she created. Kaiser then grinned and raised his paws up higher…

"**MALEVOLUS.**"

The black experiment's entire body SURGED with power and an enormous black wave of energy rose into the sky, purple fire swirling around it's form…

But UNFORTUNATELY for Kaiser he didn't turn his head fast enough as Nick read off an oldie but a useful-ie. "THE THIRD SPELL, **RETRAHO!**"

Chopsuey manifested a high-tech grappling gun in mid-air and it shot out, wrapping around Kaiser, who gasped out, not expecting them to use THAT move. He was flung up…up…

BUDDA-BAAAAAAAANNNG! He sailed right into his own "Malevolus" attack and gasped in pain as he hit the ground, twitching angrily as Lilo, Stitch, Nick and Chopsuey rushed towards him from one side. Growling furiously he stood up, raising his paws…

"**AVARITIA**!" Lillith read out.

Flexing all the ringed fingers his paws had, they glowed and he held them up. Now strange circles appeared in the air…alchemic rings with odd symbols that glowed red and blue as surges of energy shot out from them, pointed at the ends and aiming to annihilate them…

"Let's see YOU, dodge THESE, "Agents"!" Lillith sniggered.

"Don't have to." Lilo remarked, shrugging. "**DAOISHI**!" She shouted. Stitch held his paw/hands up as they glowed brightly, and now a HUGE, brilliant dome of semi-transparent energy formed around him and the others, protecting them from the attacking blasts of energy, making Lillith gasp.

"And now…**CREDERE POSTHAC!**" Nick yelled out.

Chopsuey held up his palms and a beautiful rainbow aura surrounded them, swirling around as he popped out his extra arms. Enormous cannons and missile launchers appeared on his body, and his mouth opened wide. Small beams of light began to converge at a single point in front of his maw, forming a large, glowing white orb…

"Oh f—k me." Kaiser groaned.

KA-CHIK! CHUDDA-CHUDDA-CHUDDA! The cannons unloaded their cartridges!

KAWHOOSH! The missile launchers raced through the air!

THA-SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The brilliant ball of light soared through the air…all of the attacks were heading right towards Kaiser!

SCHADDA-THA-BOOOOOOOM!

Dust was kicked up everywhere and when it cleared, Kaiser's body was ravaged with bruises, his papal regalia was tattered and he had one black eye as he slowly got up, body twitching madly. "I…I'm very angry with yooooouuuu…" He growled. His eyes had a dark tint to them that seemed to make him even more dangerous than he'd been before. "So I'm going to show you something good as a souvenir of HELL…"

He snapped his fingers. "Lillith…use THAT spell…"

Lillith gulped. "You mean…okay…**SUPERBIA**"…" She read out from the book.

Kaiser raised himself up into the air, floating high as a thousand different lights swirled around him. They covered his body completely as the sky turned black around them all, clouds gathering to cover his body as he rose higher and higher into the air…

And then they parted to reveal he had changed. His entire body was now a shade of perfect peach marble, his fur smooth, his eyes a beautiful shade of blue. He had grown six beautiful wings, two which stretched out from his shoulders, two which came directly from his head, another which came from his feet. His claws had become perfectly white, and he gazed at them all serenely.

"As you can see, I've gained considerable power. I look quite lovely, don't I? I'll bet you didn't expect hatred could look so appealing…" Kaiser told them.

"It doesn't look that impressive…" Stitch said, bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet as he got ready to fight.

"Well you'll find me impressive…WHEN I CRUSH YOU INTO THE DUST!!!" Kaiser roared out, rushing forward, claws outstretched. He slammed into Stitch and raised him up, claws digging into Stitch's throat as he laughed and laughed. "Where are all your little quips NOW, huh?!" He sneered as the claws dug in deeper and deeper. He began punching Stitch in the stomach as he went on. "You know you really are pathetic, I've seen ALL your spells, none of them have the raw power to match-"

"**RYO DIORUK!**" Lilo roared out.

SCHA-WHOOOM! Stitch's body suddenly glowed with a brilliant aura of a thousand colors as his strength, endurance and agility increased. Smirking he PUNCHED Kaiser straight in the face and sent him flying back…

He was open for a shot.

"**KIMAIRA**!!!" Nick roared out as Chops spread his arms out and summoned forth the aura beast. It roared mightily with it's fangs and claws extended to their fullest, it's fur bristling, his snake-like tail hissing nastily as it rushed through the air…

"THIS IS FOR ALL THE SUFFERING YOU'VE CAUSED US!!!" Nick yelled. "Because of your selfishness too many people had to be sent back! Now you're gonna reap the whirlwind for your stupid, STUPID selfish cruelty, Kaiser!"

"GYAAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGHHHAAAAKKKKK!!!" Kaiser screamed as blood soared out from his mouth, his wings turning into tattered, shredded messes, his body gaining cuts all over it…

In a matter of seconds he was gone…

…

…

…

…for a few minutes everyone just stood there. It seemed there was nothing left of him but a very large pit in the ground.

But Nick could feel him, FEEL him. He was still there.

And indeed he was. He rose up into the air, looking at them all, speaking quietly as his body began to twitch in different places.

"I'M UPSET NOW…I'M…NOT…HAPPY. NOT…ONE…BIT…" He growled out.

It was then that he changed right before their eyes, his body bulging out and squirming as if worms were trying to poke their way out of his skin. Right before their eyes he let out a sick howl and grew to GIGANTIC size. He had transformed before their eyes into something extremely foul-looking…now his wings had become black and tattered, his face had veins shooting through them to the nose in the middle of his face, his eyes had bloody lines racing to a center point on THEM, and his fur was bristling and rough. His paws and feet had HUGE claws and talons now, and bony spikes shot out from his shoulders and back. His fur actually seemed to be sloughing off, melting right before their eyes…yet he wasn't dying, oh no…he'd just become even more powerful.

"I am really…really…going to enjoy this." He announced.

"…eek." Lillith squeaked out, dropping the book. Nick realized that the sheer SHOCK of what she was seeing had jolted her out of whatever daze she'd been in. He immediately spoke up. "Lil, you gotta run for it!"

The black-haired beauty, unfortunately, was too frightened to move a muscle. Kaiser spoke up, looking smug. "Aw, do I frighten you, Lillith? Well don't worry, I'm still the same person. Now I'm going to need you to come a bit…CLOSER…"

Suddenly a large snake shot out from his stomach, wrapping around her and tugging her up to him. He calmly plucked her from it and smirked as the snake wrapped around his lower region like a loincloth to cover up his extremities.

"You've gotten even MORE disgusting!!!" Lilo shouted. "And you were pretty nasty to begin with!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Kaiser announced, placing Lillith up to a slit in his belly button and pushing her inside. A moment later the book vanished, becoming a beam of light that shot into Kaiser's bellybutton where Lillith was contained, and they all saw a circular globe forming…it was like a snowglobe, with Lillith trapped inside, clutching the book to her chest, almost totally naked.

"I'll just keep her here while I finish all of you off." Kaiser announced. "It shouldn't take me TOO long…in fact, watch THIS!" He clapped his large, clawed hands and large bulging clouds formed overhead, making them all gasp. Quickly our heroes rushed around, diving left and right as beams of black energy sailed down, striking the ground over and over, sending chunks of earth sailing left and right.

"How-"

BANG!

"Are"

BANG!

"We"

BANG!

"Gonna"

BANG!

"Beat"

BANG!

"Him"

BANG!

"NOW?!?" Nick yelled out.

Indeed…

HOW?


	76. We are the Champions!

**CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX**

**我々は優勝している、私の友人！**

**We are the Champions, my Friend!**

**-------------------------------------------- **

Things had gone from bad to worse to abysmal.

Kaiser was quite frankly kicking the SHIT out of our heroes. His assault from the sky had ravaged the ground and had knocked them around like jumping beans and now they lay on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Chops…aim for…the head…" Nick gasped out, pointing upward at the freakishly-large Kaiser's head. He staggered back to his feet and wiped his mouth as Lilo grit her teeth and helped Stitch back up.

Chopsuey aimed and clenched his fists. "Ready!"

"**KIMAIRA**!" Nick roared out, clasping the book tightly. Chopsuey's body surged with power as he summoned forth the chimera made of aura. It's lion-head roared angrily and soared up to bite down upon Kaiser's forehead…but Kaiser wasn't going to be beaten so easily.

The large, frightening experiment grabbed Kimaira by the neck and promptly PUNCHED it's stomach open, making sparkling light fall out…blood, really. They gasped as the aura beast began to slowly dissapate before their eyes…

"Stitch! **RYO-DIARUK**!" Lilo read out from the book as Stitch was covered in a beautiful rainbow light. He jumped up, high through the air, and punched Kaiser in the nose…

BOMP.

"…was that a love tap?" Kaiser sniggered. He calmly opened his mouth as dark purple light collected at a singlular point, enveloping Stitch and making him scream in pain.

"STITCH, NO!" Lilo screamed out.

"Oh, you'll get your turn too, you little wench!" Kaiser laughed, grabbing her and tossing her up to join Stitch. The two were encased in a swirling ball of purple energy as Kaiser laughed and laughed…and then he struck it down to the ground and it exploded, sending dust everywhere. Nick covered his face, gasping as he saw a very-badly hurt Lilo and Stitch lying on the ground, barely able to lift their heads.

"You SONOFA!!!" Nick snarled, jumping up along with Chopsuey…

SCHA-BAAAAAAM!!!

A backhand sent THEM flying to the ground and Nick felt a horrid CRACK as his shoulder shattered. He screamed in pain and held his broken shoulder as Chops lay next to him on the ground, with Kaiser looking up at the sky, holding up his paws.

"All this power! What sort of hope do you think you have now?"

"…too…many…people…" Chopsuey whispered.

Kaiser blinked and looked down at him in surprise as Lilo and Stitch looked at each other. Chops gently held onto Nick's quivering form as he looked up furiously at Kaiser. "Too many of my friends…my ohana…were sent back! And so many of them were sent because of your STUPID, SELFISH hatred! Far too many good people who deserved a good chance to be champion lost to monsters just like you. Just because my every bone aches and my insides are on fire...if you think that I'll give UP for something as petty as THOSE reasons…you're a STUPIDHEAD!"

"Idiot! Your faith in your friends is your weakness!" Kaiser laughed, looking up at the sky. "I am going to turn the sky dark with my power, the rivers will run RED with the blood of your friends and family! Your stupid "oohana"!" He crowed.

Then a gentle, warm palm placed itself on Nick and Chopsuey's bodies and they felt their wounds healing…a soothing, balmy feeling entering them. On the other side, Lilo and Stitch stood up, some healing liquid dribbling down from their chin. Kaiser looked down.

"What the?!"

There, by Nick and Chopsuey's side, stood a red, Bonnie-like experiment with a red cross on her chest…and Dr. PL and Orion were standing by Lilo and Stitch, with Orion putting some vials away in a belt he had. Mr. White stood there, arms folded in front of his chest as he stood alongside of Grey.

"It took a while for us to get here…I'm gonna need to hit the gym!" White bragged.

"The name's Heala." The Bonnie-like experiment told Nick and Chopsuey. "I'm the doctor's wife. I'm here to help."

"So you brought a couple friends. Big friggin' whoop." Kaiser laughed.

"Actually…" White smirked. "We're not the Welcome Wagon. We're the SCOUTING party. Oh, and uh, Trainer's gonna need you to hold VERY STILL…"

Kaiser blinked. "Huh?"

"**JEET KUNEDO!**"

GLOMP! Kaiser gasped as an enormous martial artist that was glowing brightly, his headband flapping around in the wind, appeared behind him, wrapping his strong muscles around him. Nick gasped in amazement as Trainer appeared at the top of this aura warrior, with Kim standing beside her, both placed atop it's head. "Hey guys!" Kim called out.

"Sorry we're late for the party!"

"They're not late…the fun's just getting started!" Kaiser snarled, looking up at the sky. "Rain down, Death!" He ordered.

Bulging clouds formed overhead and…

"**YUURIN!**" Kijimuna yelled out.

SCHA-THONKA! Large tree trunks shot up from the ground below them, protecting them from the blasts, which dissipated against the thick trunks. Nick and Chopsuey gaped at the sight of the little forest spirit…with Squirrel carrying him on his shoulder! They sat atop a pillar of flowers and waved cheerfully at our heroes.

"Funny thing about being the guardian of the Forest is that Key has access to all KINDS of powers now!"

"I heard about your struggle…" Kijimuna turned to Squirrel. "Can I?" A nod. Key turned back to them all. "I heard about your struggle…through the grape vine!" He joked.

Nick snickered. Lilo giggled. Stitch shook his head, but there was a smile on his face. "That is so CORNY!" Chops laughed.

"You little pest!" Kaiser snapped.

"**FLOS DUELLATORUM!**"

Kaiser looked up in horror at the sight of a beautiful rose opening up, with hundreds upon HUNDREDS of blades sailing out, striking him over and over. He tried to cover his face, snarling. "Death by PAPER CUT!? Don't…ERGH…INSULT ME!"

"YOU'RE the one who's runnin' scared!" Dan snapped, with Charlie by his side.

**_Look to the past and remember a smile, and maybe tonight I can breathe for a while!_**

**_I'm not in this scene, I think I'm fallin' asleep, but then all that it means…_**

**_Is all I'll always be dreamin' of YOU!_**

"NOSTERA STELLA MARIS!" A familiar roar yelled out to the Heavens. They turned their heads to see none other than Page and Dr. Rupert, with Page rising into the air on his beautiful wings, singing.

**_Faith-fell-short-this-time, your smiiile fades in the summer!  
Place-your-hand-in-mine, I'll leave when I wanna!_**

A beautiful woman riding on top of an ocean wave appeared before Kaiser, her face filled with loving serenity.

**_Faith-fell-short-this-time, your smiiile fades in the summer!  
Place-your-hand-in-mine, I'll leave when I wanna!_**

A rising star rose around her head like a beautiful halo, and it's light stretched out as the sea wave rose higher and higher.

_**Faith-fell-short-this-time, your smiiile fades in the summer!  
Place-your-hand-in-mine, I'll leave when I wanna!**_

The ocean wave went right through our heroes and the others, but they weren't touched…it passed through them harmlessly as Mary stretched out her arms as if to hug Kaiser.

**_FAITH-FELL-SHORT-THIS-TIME, YOUR SMIIILE FADES IN THE SUMMER!  
PLACE-YOUR-HAND-IN-MINE, I'LL LEAVE WHEN I WANNA!_** Page sang more fiercely along with Dr. Rupert.

She held tightly to Kaiser as the ocean wave arose over his head and it came CRASHING down on him as she squeezed tightly…

_**Faith-fell-short-this-time, your smiiile fades in the summer!  
Place-your-hand-in-mine, I'll leave when I wanna…**_

THA-SCHWOOOOOOSH!

Kaiser fell to the ground, coughing and spluttering. "You…annoying…little…" He struggled to find the right word and could come up with nothing better than "CHRISTIAN SHEEPLE!"

Page held up his cheek. "Come on. Your first blow wasn't enough. Hit harder." He laughed gently.

"Well I do take REQUESTS!" Kaiser hissed, clenching his paws into fists. He raised them up and the spikes upon his back and shoulders shot out like missiles rising up into the air as he laughed, with more and more appearing from out of his body, making him look like a PINCUSHION! Soon they'd all shot up into the air and were falling down to attack our heroes. "Dodge THESE!" He cackled.

**_You and I in a little toy shop, buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got  
Set them free at the break of dawn, 'til one by one…they were gone!_**

Nick, Chopsuey, Lilo and Stitch turned their heads, with Nick and Chops's eyes widening, seeing VERY familiar faces…

**_Back at base, bugs in the software flash the message, "Something's out there"…  
Floating in the summer sky…99 red balloons go BY! COMBURO PASSIM!_**

FWOOM-FWOOM-FWOOM-FWOOM!

Tiny, burning balls of flame popped up in the air around them, swirling around like little comets. Grey grinned as Kila and XR nodded at Nick and Chopsuey, who smiled happily as Star Command stood behind the experiment and the robot.

"Rock their world." Buzz ordered.

"With PLEASURE, sir!" Kila laughed, as she began to sing and move her paws around, making the balls of fire swirl around Kaiser's body. They soared through the air, slamming into him and exploding as she and XR sang happily.

**_99 red balloons…floating in the summer sky!  
Panic bells, it's red alert, there's something here from somewhere else!  
The war machine springs to life…opens up one eager eye  
Focusing it on the sky…as 99 red balloons go byyyyy!!!_**

Grey raised his clawed hands up into the air and was propelled by a jet of rainbow aura as he swirled around Kasier, tying him up in rainbow bands.

**_99 Decision Street, 99 ministers meet!  
To worry, worry, super-scurry…call out the troops now in a hurry!_**

Kaiser fell to the ground, his feet tied up as the bounty hunters made their move. Frequency raised his paws and Kaiser punched himself in the face. Sue shot Kaiser over and over in the legs, making him howl. Darth clenched his fists and Kaiser found he was stuck to the ground, covered in goo, and Ruin added his FINISHING MOVE, holding up an ENORMOUS weather balloon over his head.

"You all might wanna step back!" He cackled as Grey lifted him higher and higer inot the air. Everyone ELSE ran back as Ruin tossed the weather balloon at Kaiser…

SCATHWOOOSH! His legs were bathed in acid, the fur sloughing off and exposing bone, making him scream in pain as a horrid smell arose from the mess.

"THAT'LL get the lead outta your legs!...and the muscles too!" Ruin laughed evilly.

**_This is what we've waited for  
This is it boys, this is war  
The president is on the line  
As 99 red balloons go by!_**

Kaiser snarled angrily and with a show of strength burst up from the ground. "I'M GOING TO-"

"Stand still."

"Yes, I'm-what?" Kaiser turned his head to see none other than the grey-furred, fancy-outfitted Ovni and his partner Ace, being held up by Grey in midair.

"**UKAGAISAGURU!" **Ace read from his book.

Specks of black and gold light collected at the front of Ovni's maw and with a roar, a gold and black blast of surging energy shot out from his maw, enveloping Kaiser's face and making him howl in pain as he reeled back. Dr. Rupert laughed and punched the air over and over. "Yes, yes, get him!"

"Say, do you know any of-" Kila began.

Dr. Rupert grinned. "Yes, actually!"

**_99 Kriegsminister…Streichholz und Benzinkanister!  
Hielten sich fuer schlaue Leute…witterten schon fette Beute!  
Riefen: Krieg und wollten Macht…Mann, wer haette das gedacht!  
Dass es einmal soweit kommt, wegen 99 Luftballons!_**

Kaiser fell with a THA-THUNK as Kila took a deep breath and sighed.

**_99 dreams I have had…and every one a red balloon  
It's all over and I'm standin' pretty…in the dust that was a city  
If I could find a souvenir…just to prove the world was here...  
And here it is, a red balloon…I think of you and let it goooo…_**

She flicked her finger and a single little red "balloon" flew up into the sky, slowly vanishing.

"Did we do it?" Lilo asked.

"Whadddya mean WE?" XR laughed. "It's all US, baby!"

"Hey, this is a team effort." Mira told them.

"He's getting up again!" Dr. Rupert announced.

Sure enough, Kaiser was snarling, getting back to his feet. Unfortunately for him…

"**GRANDE CHAÎNON!"**

SWOOSH-SWOOSH! HUGE gooey chains wrapped around Kaiser and held him to the ground and Chopsuey and Nick smiled happily at the sight of Link, who held up his paws and gave them all a big smile. "Hiiiii!" He called out.

"Gotcha, crazyhead!" Pleakley laughed as he smiled at the others. "Nighwing, how about putting the cherry on top of this sundae?"

Haley stood atop a nearby hill, with Nightwing stretching his wings out wide as the others quickly got out of the way. "With pleasure!"

"With EXTRA pleasure!" Nightwing laughed.

"**ATRUM-PASSIM!"**

Nightwing's wings stretched out broadly and an enormous force of rain the color of his black scales shot down from the heavens and THIS time, they hit home, cooking Kaiser's fur as they struck over and over, making him scream in pain.

"Why you little!!!" Kaiser snarled, rising up into the air. "I'm going to kill you and stuff you in a blender and feed you to a social worker!!!"

He rushed forward, fist raised…

"**RUPAN SENSEI!**"

THUMPA-BOOOOOM!

Kaiser screamed in pain as an ENORMOUS shining force struck him so hard he went sailing across the plain. Lilo gasped as a bear-like experiment fell down to the ground near them, blowing imaginary dust off his fist as an Elvis impersonator walked up to him.

"Did you just punch out Cthulu?" Lilo asked. "LITERALLY?"

"Yep." The bear-like experiment said. "The name's Clyde…"

"…where's Bonnie?" Stitch asked, half joking.

Kaiser heard a CA-CLICK and looked up to see a HUGE gun being leveled in his face, and at the end of this huge sniper rifle made of crystal was none other than Bonnie herself, with Wyn standing next to her.

"Open wide, mother-"

BA-BOOOOOOOM!!!

Kaiser went flying through the air, soaring upward…right towards a superhero-like experiment who held his fist back and grinned evilly.

"Where are you all COMING from!?!" Kaiser gasped out.

"We took the bus here, how do you think!?" Hegel laughed as stood on the ground below. "**SHINJINBUKAI!**"

Ace's body glowed brightly, and it pumped up to three times his normal size, with a large cape appearing from his back, and a brilliant red aura surrounding his body. He raised his glowing, golden fists…

SHA-WHUDDA!

Kaiser flew back through the air AGAIN! But suddenly he heard another shout from what sounded like an old man…

"**GRANDE-FOUILLIS!"**

Tentacles wrapped around him and slammed him into the ground over and over as everyone began grouping together, cheering happily. Snafu smirked happily as he promptly tossed Kaiser up into the air…and Precious held her paws up, with J.R standing by her side.

"I'm sure glad White and the others brought us here so I can show you all that my love for you remains strong, Chops!" Precious called out.

**"MARIN-REINE!"** J.R roared.

CHOOOOMMMPPPPP!!!

"YEEEOOOOOORRRRGGGHHHHH!!!" Kaiser screamed as the bird-like dragon Precious summoned bit into his belly button, ripping Lillith out. He snarled and slapped it aside as he rose up into the air. "I'LL KILL EVERYONE FOR THIS! I'LL DESTROY THE ENTIRE PLANET FOR THIS INSULT!"

"We need more heart energy…" Nick said, panting heavily as he looked around the others. He turned to Dr. PL. "Do you have any pills that'll help with that?"

"No need!" Lilo said happily as she pointed to the right and they saw Crystallene and Yuuku standing there, smiling at them.

"Here's and oldie but a goodie." Crystallene said happily.

"**MINISTRO-SOCIUS!!!**"

Quickly Crystallene shot the spear-like healing spell into Nick, then Stitch, then Lilo then Chops, and they felt warmth enter their bodies, along with a renewed vigor as sparkling light sailed off their persons. "I think we actually have a chance…"

"We got more than a chance. We're gonna rock their socks!" Kingpin laughed. "Watch THIS!" He laughed.

"**ULTIMO-SPARARE!**" Trey read out.

With a squeak, two cords popped out of the nostrils of Kingpin's ball-like nose. He pulled on them and his entire body was covered in the cloaked jacket he usually, and when it was cast aside, he had turrets on his shoulders, missile launchers sticking out of his chest, laser eyes…AND as he opened his mouth, a sonic particle cannon shot out, glowing brightly.

THA-BWOOOOOOOOM! The assault unloaded on Kaiser, making him shudder over and over as huge craters appeared in his chest. Kingpin laughed as the guns vanished and blood flowed down Kaiser's chest. "I feel so good I just might…I WILL!" He decided. _**"DOO-DA-DUMM-DA-DAA-DUM-DO-DA, BA-BI-BO-BA-BOO-BA-DA! DUM-DA-DOO-DA-DUM-DA-DO-DA, DUM-DA-WOO-DA-WOO-DA-WA!"**_

"You're not doing it right." Dr. Jacques said as Jumby waddled up next to him.

"Oh yeah, like YOU really know how to sing Beethoven's Ninth!" Kingpin snapped.

Dr. Rupert grinned as a light appeared in his brother's eyes. "You shouldn't have said that…"

Dr. Jacques flipped his book open. "**KAGAKUGIJUTSU**!" He read out.

Jumby hopped up into the air and large pieces of metal reformed as they floated around or attached themselves to him. In a few moments his lower body had become a flying saucer, his upper body looked like an ogre with a space helmet, and mirrors floated through the air to his left and right as he soared up into the air, making Kaiser blink.

And THEN Dr. Jacques began to sing.

_**Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysiuuuum…**_

Kingpin gaped as the others all gasped in amazement. The doctor was...WOAH.

_**Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische dein Heiligtum!**_

And THEN his brother joined in, crossing his arms as Jumby's entire body, mirrors included, glowed brightly with white light. Kaiser blinked in surprise.

_**Deine Zauber binden wieder, was die Mode streng geteilt...**_

THA-WHOOOOOM! The mirrors all shot out beautiful light that surged into Kaiser as Dr. Jacques and Dr. Rupert raised one paw digit up into the air at the same time, crying out to the heavens as beautiful light seemed to fall down around them, making them look divinely beauiful as the sun beamed down on them.

_**ALLE MENSCHEN WERDEN BRÜDER, WO DEIN SANFTER FLÜGEL WEILT!**_

"Woah." Kila gasped.

"INTENSE." Nick admitted.

"Uh…he's getting away…" Lilo spoke up.

"WHAAAA?!?" Everyone turned their heads to see Kaiser soaring up into space, a horrid snarl on his face.

"I'M GOING TO KILL EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS PATHETIC WORLD! NONE OF YOU ARE FIT TO LIVE! MY HATRED WILL LIVE ON FOREVER AND EVER!!!"

"You poor, sad creature…" Nick said quietly, shaking his head. "Let's end his suffering…"

"Meru-meru-meeee!" Heartwing called out, rushing to their side and gesturing for them to get on.

"I've gotcha over here!" A doggy-like experiment said, as none other than Myrtle Edmonds appeared, nervously smiling at Lilo.

"MYRTLE?!" Lilo gasped.

"I guess I KINDA owe you an explanation after this is over…" Myrtle admitted.

"Hold on, how will they BREATHE in space?" Dr. Rupert inquired.

"That's where WE come in!"

They turned their heads as Tak approached them along with two other Irken aliens…one who was fatter than the other. They held up small devices and placed them on Lilo, Stitch, Chopsuey, Nick and every single one of the other people who had gathered. Immediately little bubbles popped over our protagonist's heads, which turned invisible. "They'll help you breath in space." Tak informed them. "Now then…let's go waste him."

"And to make sure EVERYONE gets a front row seat, ZIM has INGENIOUSLY and most MAGNAMINOUSLY decided to give you all JETPACKS! For you non-flyers." The one called Zim spoke up, holding up two jet packs in one hand. "Skoodge, bring the truck around!"

"You got it!" Skoodge said, saluting. "I'm your loyal-"

"Better not go any farther than that. The last time he did, you got knocked into a canyon, remember?" Darth laughed.

…

…

…

…Kaiser hovered in space as the stars twinkled around him, the moon passing far to the right, the Earth spinning below as he giggled insanely. "I'm gonna huff…and puff…and BLOOOOOOW the Earth down!" He laughed.

"No…you won't." Lilo's voice rang out.

Kaiser turned his head to see every single experiment, partner included, flying RIGHT towards him. It was a righteous horde of beings of every shape and size, all eager to destroy him and save the world. A big smile on his face, Nick soared through space next to Chopsuey, grinning broadly.

"It's OVER, Kaiser!" He yelled out. "Canon and fanon and bounty hunter and alien cops alike are all here to put a stop to your twisted crusade!"

"You won't stop me from destroying the Earth!" Kaiser laughed, pointing his paws at the Earth and stretching them out. Harsh-looking beams of sharp light soared out from his palm and…

Passed…through…the Earth. Harmlessly.

"WHAAAA!??!" Kaiser shrieked.

"Oh, that. My little touch."

Kaiser turned his head and snarled at the sight of Morpholomew, who was sitting in mid-space with Spud ruffling his head. "Isn't it great to be able to screw with evildoer's minds?" He asked everyone else.

"Why you little-"

"**Bailador!********"**

SCHOMP!

"What the?!?"

Kaiser put his left leg in, then he put it out, then he put his left leg in and he shook it all about! He did the Hokey Pokey and he turned himself around as Jenny and Carmen soared up to the left of Nick and Chopsuey.

"THAT'S what it's all about!" Jenny laughed happily, waving her fist in the air triumphantly.

Chopsuey clung tightly to Carmen as he hugged her, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I missed you."

"I missed choo too, babe." She said gently. "Hey…don't go crying." She insisted, holding him up. "We're all here. We aint' gonna let you down."

"You annoying little SPIC! I'll use you as a toothpick and-GAAAAH!!!" A harsh bite to his neck made him scream in pain and he turned his head to see none other than Senkoukura himself! The experiment was floating in space, claws digging into Kaiser's body as his fangs let go of the evil experiment and he spat some blood out.

"You taste awful." He announced.

"Hey there, everyone!" Heatwave yelled out as Senkoukura opened up his mouth again.

"What the?" Nick gasped. "You came BACK?!"

"Well I didn't want to miss out on this!" Heatwave laughed.

"None of us did!" Jam informed them.

"We've all made mistakes, but we're gonna try to atone for them by saving the world now." Sample said, bowing his head respectfully.

"Some of us have more to atone for than others…" Absolute added sheepishly.

"But all of us understand the threat this…MONSTER poses." Sneak spoke quietly.

"So take this…all our power…" Baudelaire requested.

"Know that all your friends are with you!" A bat-like experiment that Lilo and Stitch smiled to see spoke up.

All of the experiments raised their paws towards Lilo and Stitch, Nick and Chopsuey…and shining light surged out from their bodies, going straight into our protagonists, who began to shine brightly like blazing stars. Tiny dots of multicolored light sailed around their white-glowing bodies. Lilo turned to Stitch, nodding.

"You ready for this?" She said.

"I'm ready." He said.

"Let's finish this big bad!" Lilo shouted.

"You know, it's been a real blast being able to fight alongside you guys." Nick called to Lilo. "As friends and not simply rivals. I kinda wish it wasn't over so soon…but I know that this is what we have to do." He insisted. "Come what may…this is the right thing to do."

Chopsuey clenched his fist and pointed with one claw. "ALOHA!" He laughed.

Watching from afar, two people smiled as they hid behind the moon, seeing their power go into their friends.

"Do it, guys…we believe in you." They thought softly.

And with that they sailed through the stars towards Kaiser, who screeched in horror as their glowing bodies struck him clear in the head, with shining light shooting out across the stars, making it look like a supernova was going off right above the Earth. From millions of lightyears away people could see a blazing light suddenly pop up and those down upon the planet looked up intently, amazed at the miracle they were witnessing…

Light flooded Kaiser's vision…his sense of feeling began to peel away…

_"So warm. So…very…__warm__…"_ He thought quietly just before everything blinked out for him.

It was over…

He was gone.

…

…

…

…Nick and Chopsuey stood in a grassy plain, with Nick holding onto the green book in one hand while he leaned slightly, looking Lilo and Stitch over. Lilo held onto her blue book as the clouds passed overhead.

It had been a few days since the final fight. No…THIS really was the final fight. Him and Chops. Lilo and Stitch.

The end was here. It was time.

"Well…I guess this was going to happen EVENTUALLY." Nick admitted.

Lilo's hair flowed back slightly. "Yes, it was. I'm glad we're facing each other NOW though…not as enemies."

"Yeah, me…me too." Nick admitted. "Though I kinda wish it wasn't going to end so soon. There was so many things I wanted to do…some of it we did, but most we didn't…and why, I…just don't know."

"It's time." Lilo said quietly. "But I hope that…win or lose…I get to see you again."

"I hope so too." Nick said, smiling happily. "Chopsuey…are you ready?" He asked, turning his head down slightly to look at his partner.

Chopsuey nodded as he looked at Nick. "There's no way you could have been a greater partner to me. You risked life and limb for me. You taught me things that Jumba never did. You stopped me from becoming a selfish prick. That alone I owe you everything for."

"It's what anybody would have done." Nick insisted. "You needed somebody to care about you."

"…so did you." Chopsuey added. "And…I'm glad I got to be that somebody." He took Nick's hand and squeezed it. "…mahalo."

That squeeze and that word alone told Nick a thousand different things, feelings, desires, all summed up in a single gesture. Chopsuey couldn't think of any better way to express how much he cared about Nick than that single, tender squeeze and the slightly tearful smile he was giving him.

"……" Nick smiled back and some tears brimmed in his eyes. Then he turned to face Lilo and Stitch, his blue vest flapping.

"Stitch…" Chopsuey spoke up. "I said this to you once before. Now I'm saying it in a new way, with a new meaning…"

He grinned broadly. "NOW WE SETTLE THIS.""

They rushed forward…

…

…

…

… "Guys, look!" Nick said, holding up a letter.

David, White and Grey were all sitting around Nick's kitchen, drinking various sodas when Nick suddenly ran into the room, having gotten the mail. "It's a letter! And it's from Chopsuey!" They all widened their eyes as Nick used a letter opener from a nearby desk that was shaped like a templar sword to open the letter from his partner up. Nick took a deep breath and began to read.

_"Nick, are you doing well?_

_Yes, it's me, Chopsuey, but it's not just me who's writing this. As I'm speaking…er…WRITING this very letter, other experiments are writing letters to THEIR former partners as well._

_Things are going well in Jumba's lab…everyone's living in harmony now. There's a new sense of love and ohana that's floating around like some happy virus! Also it's kind of hard to believe, but Nightwing actually made friends with this experiment named Gigi! He's starting to look after her like she's his little sister and it's sweet._

_We've all been taking different classes here at Jumba's lab since the Fanon experiments joined up with Jumba. Star Command allowed XR and Kila to be official delegates to an increasingly-large population of considerably important beings…namely, experiments, be they "canon" or "fanon"! But it's not just them…Tak was overjoyed when Lady Miyuki allowed her to stay with Amnesio, and now she's having a good time._

_In fact, we have TEACHERS here at Jumba's lab now. A lot of the fanon experiments have important lessons to teach us of the canon line, and you'll never believe who I'm learning from…the "Beasts" themselves! In fact, Sketch is teaching art class and I'll be able to uncover my inner muse with her help! _

_Speaking of muse…the lovely muse of Music that is Carmen teaches music class and guess who's always sitting next to me? Precious! She's still kinda got this crush on me, but she's ALSO spending a lot of time with Snafu. Carmen gives me a LOT of hands-on help time in class…and it's not just because I need help figuring out how the get the drums played correctly, nudge-nudge, wink-wink! _

_I think Martial Arts class is gonna be amazing. Trainer and Ribera are teaching that one…their double techniques are AMAZING, and best of all, Trainer's gonna try and see if Ron will let Kim come visit! Awesome, huh? Guess what else is awesome…Shadow's not a crab-like experiment named Clink. He's got NO idea what he used to be and he's actually a very nice person…he helps people carry supplies around the room. Who knew he'd clean up?_

_Even Kolobos is here. He's been cowed quite a bit and we were frankly amazed that he was reformed from his soul alone, but it's alright. He now does a lot of construction work but don't worry…he's got Ovni looking after him, the guy knows what he's doing, and if Kolobos ever gets the urge to try and act nasty towards somebody else, Ovni takes care of him by stuffing melons into places that shouldn't have things stuffed into them. He says that he needs to grow bigger melons though…he gets the feeling Kolobos is developing a fetish for that stuff._

_Luckily Squirrel's volunteered to help, since he's amazing with plants. We have a compost garden now! Cool beans! Literally, the beans are cool, you should see the colors! And of course, Page and Crystallene have begun a relationship. They kiss and hug and best of all…sing! You should hear them in the choir that Page has brought together…they're AMAZING. Also, Kingpin and Jumby aren't half bad either._

_Ace has finally forgiven Kingpin, and he's begun work on doing some comic art. He's actually quite good…I've never seen punches to the face look so realistic! Gunner is in charge of weapons training and so far we've yet to beat his record of three seconds in taking apart a "Cobra Assault Plasma Cannon" and putting it back together, though Clyde and Bonnie have sworn to try…and also to finally tie the knot once Page gives them the "okay", since he's an official member of the church!_

_Spooky enjoys theater now…doing scary one-act plays with Morpholomew helping him out and Dan providing great background music. Heartwing is…well, he's him! He does a lot of goofing off around the lab, but he also cooks great snacks and other foods for us to eat at the cafeteria along Carmen. Her empanadas are AMAZING! And with Heatwave helping out as well, Spicy Sunday's spicier than ever! Often we'll have contests to see who can down the most sizzling hot taquitos! The record currently belongs to this little alien robot that Mr. Zim has…_

_Yes, the bounty hunters have taken up shop at Jumba's lab too. They do errands for him and he pays quite well, but more importantly they get to go to fun places and they have a good time with all of us here! Darth convinced his brother Skoodge and Mr. Zim, who are these fancy scientists, to come to Jumba's lab. Now they help him out with new inventions. The best part though is seeing Tak press Zim's buttons. He'll wave his fists in the air and shout his name loudly. It can get HILARIOUS._

_Stitch is the champion now. He deserves it, he worked hard at pleasing Jumba and has been through just as much struggle as we have. Luckily he's able to unwind with HER helping him out…_

_Yes, we've all been doing really well. But I keep thinking back to the fight…to the battle to become champion._

_I've begun to think…to wonder…_

_I don't agree with involving innocent people in unnecessary fights. Yes, many cruel and TERRIBLE things happened._

_But because Jumba sent us to your planet…I got to be friends with you. I got to be ohana._

_I learned what was truly important and what was worth fighting for. I went from a selfish jerk who wanted revenge to a proud but honorable warrior who wanted a rematch…and then to a defender of the good who stood for ohana…I became somebody who truly understood what it meant to love another person._

_In the end, we all were able to see what it meant to truly have a heart, didn't we?_

_The trial we undertook was like a crash course in how to be good people. And I guess we really needed it, considering how messed up some of us started out, ha-ha-ha!"_

Nick smiled sadly. "Yeah…some of you guys really DID need it."

"What else does it say?" White inquired, raising an eyebrow.

_"Kaiser was a weapon of hatred…he WAS living hatred. We overcame hate with a love we had for each other…a love of doing good, a desire to atone and make things right. I guess all of us have strong power in our hearts, and it doesn't matter what species we are…as long as we possess that "true heart" within us, we have the potential to keep fighting, no matter how terrible things get…." _

Nick choked up slightly, his body becoming slightly cold as the Willies racked his body. "I learned that from you." He whispered quietly.

Silence for a few moments. Then…

"Oh MY." Nick gasped. "It…it says Leroy's ALIVE!"

Grey's eyes shot open wide. "WHAT?"

Nick kept reading. _"You might find this hard to believe, but as it turns out, when Kaiser was annihilated, Leroy's soul was released. Apparently his body reformed like Kolobos. We asked whether Jumba had made him but he said that this guy named Vic did it…"_ Nick grinned. "Ha! I knew it! _Vic said that "Leroy deserved a break" and sent him back to the lab. Leroy's not bad though…_"

"Well THAT'S a relief." Grey interjected.

_"As it turns out, he's gained a new sense of self. He's now sworn to one day overcome me and Stitch! To prove that he's just as good as we are. I think that when the next trial comes around and he has to gain a partner, he'll walk the same path I did. All he needs is a good partner. Nick…_

_I really miss you all. But I do know that we'll return to Earth. All of us. Page is excited to see Dr. Rupert again…he's happy to hear that he's been nursing Lillith back to health. Crystallene wants to see if Yuuku's jewelry business has taken off...I imagine it has…" _

"Hellz yeah it has!" White laughed, looking at his fancy new watch.

_"All of us want to see you all back on Earth. Unfortunately it could be a long time before we do. Even if Senkoukura took us all in his body it would take months. But one day we'll get back to your world and we'll all meet again…and we'll laugh and smile as we lie under that blue sky that brought us together._

_When I meet you again, it'll be with pride. The struggle you guided me through made me become a real champion, you know._

_We've both changed. Grown up a little. And yet in a way…we haven't changed at all._

_I'm glad for that. Anyhow…I'm running out of room to write this on. I hope I get you soon. Get some sandwiches ready!_

_Love…_

_Chopsuey, experiment 621_

_CHOPS."_

Nick smiled as he looked down at the letter. He looked up as David smiled.

"I think he'll be coming back soon." David told him with a grin.

"Yeah…I know what you mean." Nick said, smiling as he put the letter in his pocket. They all walked outside and looked up at the blue sky.

"It might still take a while…it's a big universe." White remarked.

"Then we'll help you plan the coming-back party. We're gonna need a LOT of Icees!" Grey spoke up, nodding his head.

"Yeah. We'd better get started. You know…I'm glad you decided to stay here with me." Nick told them all.

"Relax, Nick." White said happily.

David patted Nick on the shoulder. "We don't mind one bit."

"Yeah, c'mon." Grey said as he led Nick back inside the house. "Relax…you're home."

…

…

…

…His motorcycle-like helmet glinted as he carefully landed the ship in the open plain. "Dr?" He asked, turning to the doctor who shared one of his creation's bodies. "Are we too far away?"

"No, the town's only a couple miles that way." Dr. PL said, pointing out the window. "Alright everyone, let's get going!"

"Ooh, Grey's gonna be so surprised!" Ewa Lani laughed, clapping her paws together.

Two forms walked out of the ship, the first of many…MANY others. They looked left and right…and then one black set of eyes met another.

"Well…we're back. We're here." The blue one said.

The other one brushed his Mohawk back and scratched his stomach, smiling as he turned to face the town, knowing what…or rather WHO was waiting for him there.

"We're home." He said simply.

**And so…the final credits!**

(Dramatic action shots are shown of every single main character as the song plays)

**_Lord almighty, I feel my temperature rising!_ _Higher and higher, it's burning through to my soooul! _**

_**Baby, baby, baby, you gonna set me on fiiire… My brain is flaming…and I don't know which way to gooo…yeaaah! **_

_**Cuz your kisses lift me higher! Like the sweet song of a choir! You light my morning sky…with burnin' love!**_

**_Ooh, ooh, ooh…I feel my temperature rising!_ _Help me I'm flaming, I must be a hundred and nine…_**

_**Burning, burning, burning, and nothing can cool me…I might just turn to smoke…but I feel fiiiiine…yeah!**_

_**Cuz your kisses lift me higher! Like the sweet song of a choir! You light my morning sky…with burnin' love! **_

(As the instrumental part plays as photos of all of the experiments hanging around the lab and having a good time are shown, one after another, ending with a shot of Stitch holding a big trophy up that says "Champion", with Chopsuey lifting him up along with another VERY familiar experiment while Jumba claps, an overjoyed look on his face. Then it changes back to showing more character shots)

_**It's coming close…the flames are now licking my body…Won't you help me, I feel like I'm slipping awaaay…**_

_**It's hard to breathe…my chest is just a-heaving…Lord have mercy, burning a hole in meeee! **_

_**Cuz your kisses lift me higher! Like the sweet song of a choir! You light my morning sky…with burnin' love!**_

_**I'm just a hunka, hunka burnin' love…I'm just a hunka, hunka, burnin' love!**_

_**I'm just a hunka, hunka burnin' love…I'm just a hunka, hunka, burnin' love!**_

_**I'm just a hunka, hunka burnin' love…I'm just a hunka, hunka, burnin' love!**_

(Now the camera fades to black…then shows a shot from behind Nick and a large, assembled group of partners as he sees familiar furry forms approaching from a hillside far away…and he's already running towards them.)

_**I'm just a hunka, hunka burnin'… luh-ooooove, ooohhhh-oohhhhh, aahhh-hahhh…yeaaahhhh… **_

(Music ends with a shot of Nick and Chopsuey sleeping against a tree, the book lying on the grass in between them, also resting against the tree with Lilo holding Stitch up on her shoulder as they approach. The words "THE END" appear in big gold letters.)

**Author's Note:**

Well...it's been an amazing experience.

What more can I say? A lot, actually. For starters, I wish to thank Shakaraka, Winkywoo, 630kila, Ovni-the-ufo, Stitch8000, Wormtail96, 123qaz123, Baudelairestitch, "Experiments", Oni-Twilight, Pyreo, Ribera, Stitchfreak626, RabidLeroy, Nukerjsr, MiriamtheBat, Natalie-Loves-Stitch and Sheeko636. Their deviantart and Fanfiction work was of great inspiration for this story...in fact, without them, this story wouldn't friggin' BE.

I also want to EXTRA thank KWinkywoo, Stitch8000, Wormtail, Kila, Qaz for their kind words. "No one Alone" as it's been said in one BLoSC episode...and it's true. Nobody should do anything alone. Whether it's just cheerleading or actual advice or hands-on help, assistance you get from others should be held dear.

Somebody whom I have GOT to raise a lighter up for is the person who originally INSPIRED this story with his tale: **Kioko-the-Pirate.** His story can be read right here at and I highly recommend you check it out. His was the work that started it all...

And of course I can't forget the "Konjiki no Gash Bell" or "Zatch Bell" series which provided a multitude of aid in helping me develop this story.

In case you're reading this and don't know, I dedicate this particular final arc to 123qaz, who's been a dear and good friend, whom I wish has a life that is just and good, in the words of Thomas Jefferson.

To all who are reading this, it's been a complete and utter blast. I was amazed at how popular this story became. When I first developed it, I had NO idea what was going to happen. I was afraid I'd get in trouble with the authors I wished to tribute and pay homage to, and INSTEAD, I was supported greatly and cheered for what I did. It was a grand experiment indeed and I'm proud with how it's done.

Thank you all for sticking along for the ride. I don't think I would have ended this story **any** other way.

Stay cool, cousins. Be excellent to each other. We're all _ohana_ after all. (Gives a thumbs up)


End file.
